I'm guessing the schmutz contains endophyte spores that keep the developing plant healthy and ultimately end up in our gut keeping us healthy. Hell, they might be the secret ingredient in your septic tank fertilizer.
Well, you're gonna love my next garden post then, which is all about the Great Basement Lettuce Experiment of Winter 2025/26, where it becomes reasonably clear that biological activity is the key to soil fertility (or at least the nitrogen cycle). Not that this is an earth-shattering discovery -- more like an 8th grade science fair project -- but seeing it happen in a (very loosely) controlled experiment was pretty interesting.
Thanks for the comment. Glad you enjoyed it. Re preciousness, it's certainly a challenge, and I approach it diplomatically in my FB local garden group. Running the group has taught me a lot, both about the interesting and different ways that people approach gardening, but, more importantly, how to encourage a group of people with wildly different worldviews and core passions to interact constructively. I've found that it helps if I, as the leader of the group, focus on core principles. And redirect the focus of others to their direct experiences, rather than sweet-sounding ideas that are whispered and amplified down the lane. The more we keep it real, and retain a sense of humor and perspective, the more edifying and peaceful the discussions are. I probably go overboard on the self-indulgent and often painfully bad humor, but, again, I think it helps some of my readers and group members to maintain some perspective.
I'm guessing the schmutz contains endophyte spores that keep the developing plant healthy and ultimately end up in our gut keeping us healthy. Hell, they might be the secret ingredient in your septic tank fertilizer.
Well, you're gonna love my next garden post then, which is all about the Great Basement Lettuce Experiment of Winter 2025/26, where it becomes reasonably clear that biological activity is the key to soil fertility (or at least the nitrogen cycle). Not that this is an earth-shattering discovery -- more like an 8th grade science fair project -- but seeing it happen in a (very loosely) controlled experiment was pretty interesting.
Thanks for the comment. Glad you enjoyed it. Re preciousness, it's certainly a challenge, and I approach it diplomatically in my FB local garden group. Running the group has taught me a lot, both about the interesting and different ways that people approach gardening, but, more importantly, how to encourage a group of people with wildly different worldviews and core passions to interact constructively. I've found that it helps if I, as the leader of the group, focus on core principles. And redirect the focus of others to their direct experiences, rather than sweet-sounding ideas that are whispered and amplified down the lane. The more we keep it real, and retain a sense of humor and perspective, the more edifying and peaceful the discussions are. I probably go overboard on the self-indulgent and often painfully bad humor, but, again, I think it helps some of my readers and group members to maintain some perspective.