Soil Story

There are secrets in the soil. It’s where all life begins. When I began my farm I was very adamant about no till farming practices. Even in rocky clay soil. I did a soil test and determined that it was mostly silt and clay soil with an extensive amount of rock, shale and clay. I also realized that it was retaining moisture more than regular soil. To my surprise I was on top of a leach field where household waste water is left to leach into the ground. Definitely an interesting experiment for a flower garden. I’m just glad I wasn’t promising anyone organic vegetables. The upside was that during the worst drought Upstate New York has seen in over a decade, I did not have a water supply shortage. I had an abundance of nutrients provided through the ground. Most plants don’t love having wet roots but in an extremely brutal summer the flowers grew like crazy! I had 50” tall zinnias, the varieties I used say 36” so I’m guessing this has to do with the nutrients below the soil and the ability of the growth medium to retain these nutrients. The dahlias rarely needed watering and grew to be extraordinarily lush in comparison to other flower farms in the area! The environment you plant in has pros and cons and the plants that do well will change each year so diversify your planting, amend your soil and minimally disturb the environment, soil included. Next season we will be adding nematodes and more compost to our new location just down the road from our first flower farm. I’m excited for another season!