Would you feed your child once and then expect it to grow properly? - of course not.
However, when it comes to growing food many people feed the plants when planting and then sit back waiting for a bountiful harvest to appear and then, when it fails miserably, they wonder why.
It is the quality of the soil that makes or breaks vegetable growing.
I have mentioned this before in a previous post, but something that I saw the other day reminded me that this should be said over and over again if I want to encourage new gardeners.
The most important ingredients necessary for a good soil are organic matter like compost, soil microbes and fungi and good drainage.
Compost must be good compost which contains vital ingredients that will benefit plant growth - some composts are devoid of any real goodness and that is why it is important to purchase good quality bags from reputable suppliers.
Better still, wherever possible, make your own.
By raking up leaves and putting them on to garden beds continuously will create that wonderful leaf mould which is full of the necessary fungi and microbes necessary for healthy growth and if a good compost is added on top of this, your plants will thrive.
Cover your soil at all times -do not dig the soil - just let nature do what it does best.
Making sure your soil is continually being fed with organic matter means that plants never have to be stressed, will grow well and produce good harvests.
