The Walden Effect: Farming, simple living, permaculture, and invention.

Spreading minerals on the garden

Spreading minerals

Seed spreaderFor round two of my remineralization campaign, I decided to take Roland's advice and at least prevent skin contact with the copper.  Our first idea was to use a seed spreader, but the mineral powders didn't seem to want to flow out, so I moved on to plan B --- wearing gloves.

We still have to buy more gypsum and lime, but the trace minerals are all in place.  I skipped the blueberries because I couldn't decide what to do there, and I skipped chicken pastures 1 and 2 because I didn't test the soil in those areas. 

The only other area I left out was the three rows in the mule garden currently covered by quick hoops.  We're still eating greens and lettuce out of there daily, and I don't want to risk imbibing a lot of metals accidentally.  I figure the quick-hoop-covered beds can also be my control.  If I see a huge problem everywhere else but none there, I'll know the minerals are at fault.

Our chicken waterer is the POOP-free solution to worry-free backyard chicken care.


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About us: Anna Hess and Mark Hamilton spent over a decade living self-sufficiently in the mountains of Virginia before moving north to start over from scratch in the foothills of Ohio. They've experimented with permaculture, no-till gardening, trailersteading, home-based microbusinesses and much more, writing about their adventures in both blogs and books.



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Now would be a good time to explain the differences and similarities between this type of thing and using chemical fertilizer.
Comment by Errol Sat Feb 9 08:03:30 2013

Hello Hanna and Mark,

I enjoy reading your posts, I like your scientific approach. I have a book somewhere written by a Solomon. One of the things he talks about in it is the concept of spacing and water consumption. He says that when you space out a plant it has a much better root structure and can withstand drought conditions. With climate change it seems we are getting longer, drier and hotter conditions here in Kentucky and I have went along with his thoughts and spaced things out farther. I'd like your thoughts on this.

Glad you guys got your bridge back up, that should make things easier. Keep up the great work!

Comment by Jim Sat Feb 9 09:25:46 2013





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