Most of us have heard the expression, “nature, red in tooth and claw.” When Tennyson wrote this line back in 1850, he was saying that nature is competition, a struggle to eat or be eaten. But what if nature has a different story to tell? While it’s true that competition is one of the driving…

Americans buy here Here on the blustery west coast of BC, there’s one sure reward for withstanding the windstorms that pound the beaches from fall to spring: kelp. It washes up in clumps in those coves where the wind and currents carry it, feeding little girls’ imaginations with its long, two-pronged leaf clumps on hollow…

We often think of compost as a nutrient source, but one of its most important functions is actually breeding beneficial microbes. Then we can multiply these microbes even further by brewing up some aerated compost tea. Properly aerated compost tea is one of the most effective ways to promote health and prevent disease in our…

Humans have always preferred to live by the sea. The ocean offers a bounteous harvest of nutrients, for ourselves and for the soil and plants we cultivate. Like sea minerals and kelp, fish fertilizer is an excellent source of many nutrients. As natural, available forms of nitrogen and phosphorus in particular, they’re especially valuable when…

Mycorrhizal fungi are incredible helpers when it comes to soil and plant health. They provide nutrients and water to plants in exchange for food in return. It really is a partnership. In fact, they’re among the most important microbes that partner with plants.

Humic and fulvic acids are very similar, the main difference being that fulvic acids are smaller, which means they’re more soluble in water. They’re both important in the soil, though, and I think about them as one. I mostly call them humates. It’s extremely beneficial to build up humates in our soil. Compost and humus…

Molasses is one reason gingerbread cookies are so good. Another reason is ginger, and another reason is because they’re often shaped like people. Of course molasses does have sugar, but it has nutrients, too, including vitamins, minerals, and trace elements. Some people have some every day as a health tonic. It turns out both the…