Jenn & Krystle's Notes from the 2010 Body & Soil Conference

Among the several speakers at the conference was Michael Martin Melendrez who talked about how healthy soil is the foundation of a successful garden. Having healthy soil encourages plants to grow and to produce lots of fruits and veggies for all of us to enjoy. Adding humus (humic acid), decomposed organic matter, to the soil helps to fertilize the plants naturally. Simple steps can be taken to help increase the richness of the soil. This includes adding scraps from the kitchen and leftovers to the compost. Instead of throwing away onion peels and unwanted parts of fruits and veggies, they can be put to good use! Some plants, such as coffee, alfalfa, beans, broccoli, and others, are high in vegetable protein, which is especially useful because it promotes the levels of humic acid in the compost.

So instead of throwing away any unwanted onion peels, fruit rinds, and any other leftovers, let’s put them to work in the compost and back to the earth, so that in the future, the garden will flourish and give us more delicious food to eat!

There were also several vendors including, Jason "Buffalo Boy" Harris (left), from The Josephine Porter Institute for Applied Biodynamics. Buffalo Boy demonstrated how to prepare an organic fertilizer using a blend of esoteric traditions and scientific methods. The fertilizer is a mixture of cow manure, egg shells, and basalt.

Attendees of the conference took turns volunteering to mix the fertilizer using a shovel on a piece of plywood. It was then placed into a hole lined with brick and patted in by hand.

Another vendor we feel is worth noting is Non Toxic Solutions, LLC. They promote green alternatives for pest control, weed control, and wood preservation. Products such as Yardsafe, which is a ready to spray cedar oil based solution used to safely repel mosquitoes and other insects, are out there for everyday consumers to purchase.

Its important for people to know the availability of alternate solutions to good gardening. Learning to utilize composting and alternative natural pesticides and fertilizers will grow healthy sustainable gardens.