Healthy Soil Needs a Healthy Diet

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Ah, a brand new year … and brand new resolutions!

If you’ve resolved to start eating a healthy diet, you are not alone. It is one of the most popular New Year’s resolutions, year after year. For most people this means eating less sugar, drinking more water and adding lots of fresh fruits and vegetables to their diet.

What if your soil could talk? Chances are, it would say “Feed me a healthy diet, too!”

Ridiculous, right? Not at all! Healthy soil is filled with millions of living, breathing microorganisms that also need to eat. These hungry microorganisms compete with plants for essential nutrients and micronutrients that are derived primarily from the organic matter that they feed upon.

Unfortunately, many soils are seriously depleted for a variety of reasons—ranging from natural conditions to over-farming and/or the application of synthetic fertilizers. The “quick-and-dirty” solution is to feed the plants, but not the soil. That’s what many chemical fertilizers do. They deliver nutrients to plants directly but do not improve the overall health of the soil. In the long run, this leads to a breakdown of soil structure resulting in weaker plants, increased risk of disease and, ultimately, soil infertility. The consequences are dire—and unsustainable.

Fortunately, more and more people are awakening to the notion that healthy soil leads to healthy plants and, ultimately, a healthy planet. There are many organic soil amendments to choose from, and naturally we encourage you to read about the benefits of 100% natural Cascade Minerals Remineralizing Soil Booster which mimics the Earth’s own process for producing healthy soil.

Here’s to happy and healthy gardening in the New Year!