Improving your soil quality doesn't have to cost the earth. Photo/Getty
Improving your soil quality doesn't have to cost the earth. Photo/Getty
Great growing soil for less money? Claire Mummery dishes the dirt on where to find free nutrients.
Did you know that most vegetable plants will get their goodness and growth out of the first 30cm of soil? The structure and composition of that soil is the key to productive crops.
Lack of space (and good soil) means many of us now garden in raised beds and pots – with a little know-how, we can utilise vast quantities of natural resources to improve growing conditions.
I've always believed that creating and nurturing a garden does not need to be so expensive. It's easy to spend hundreds of dollars in the blink of an eye, so here are my top tips to prepare your summer garden for less.
Collecting carbon without the cost Carbon is such an important part of soil composition and there are free sources of it all around us. Visit your local park to collect twigs and brown leaves; raid the office bin for shredded paper. Save your newspapers, cardboard and kitchen paper, or even sawdust and bark.
Tree branches are another option, as long as you avoid pine, walnut or willow – these contain high resin or excellent sprouting ability and there is nothing worse than growing an unwanted tree in your garden bed. Put your gathered carbon in a bag and cover with a tarpaulin or cardboard, weigh down and leave somewhere dry until you need it.
Nitrogen for next-to-nothing The next layer you will need in your soil is nitrogen. Grass clippings are a fantastic nitrogen source, as they also contain essential potassium and amino acids. If you don't have a backyard to mow, try chatting with neighbours or your local lawn mowing service, as this valuable resource is usually just dumped at the green waste section.
For those already home-composting, you can access another nutrient-packed nitrogen source via worm farms, compost and your vegetable scraps that have been fermented via the bokashi method.
Manure from horses, alpacas, chickens, cows and sheep is a good nitrogen layer too, so connect with your neighbours and fellow gardening friends, or take a drive out to more rural areas to access horse poo, which is usually $5 for a big bag. It's always a good idea to get as many as you can in one trip, and if you know someone with alpacas, this is super handy as alpacas helpfully leave their manure in one pile, making it easy to collect.
Use freshly washed up seaweed to help improve soil health. Photo/Supplied
Free from the sea Seaweed is a great garden additive as it contains micronutrients and more than 60 trace minerals and nutrients including potassium, nitrogen and phosphate. This fantastic resource just gets washed up on your local beaches, so collect it in a bag right before you're ready to build your garden bed, as it's best when it's fresh. Make sure you don't collect seaweed from marine reserve areas though. The beauty of using seaweed as one of your layers is that it helps to retain moisture over the hot summer and works wonders in your compost.
Reap what you sow with seed-sharing A good way to spread the cost of growing food is to buy seeds, rather than seedlings. However, a full packet of seeds is usually more than one gardener will use in a season, so save money by seed-swapping. Connect with those around you who like to grow food and agree who will buy what. Place your orders online now for a good organic variety of each, so you can swap ahead of sowing in a few weeks' time. Enjoy a fresh, bumper crop for less.
For more gardening advice, visit growinspired.co.nz and discover Claire Mummery's online gardening course at www.growinspiredacademy.com
