Refurbishment for the garden

This autumn I’m going to tackle a piece in the garden where my plants are clearly struggling to keep their heads above water. Apart from grass, little wants to grow, and what I have planted has largely been eaten away by the snails, caterpillars and I know a lot.

Above you can see what I want to achieve: exuberant flowering, healthy plants in a healthy soil. Under this floral splendor lies a layer of branches and cardboard, covered with a hefty layer of worm compost from the Aerobin.

If you look closely you can see a tomato plant in the middle of the sea of flowers. That is an additional advantage or disadvantage of using your own worm manure: Many seeds that are in your waste will not compost but will germinate easily.

Unfortunately, I don’t have enough worm poop myself to tackle the bad part as well. So I ordered a big bag of worm poop. This worm manure is seed-free. So don’t worry about germinating tomato plants.

The step-by-step plan for a better soil

• Cover bottom with cardboard. This stops the weeds and grass
• Covering cardboard with straw (branches are also possible but I don’t have them at hand)
• Putting organic flower bulbs between the straw
• Large layer of worm droppings over the straw and bulbs. This can also be champost.
• Possibly spread a layer of lava flour and mealworm manure over the worm droppings.

The goal: Healthier soil, healthier plants, healthier bees

More organic matter

Ultimately, I want a soil with more organic matter. Hence the addition of straw and cardboard. The soil on which I garden consists mainly of building land, with a thin layer of soil.

Natural fertilization

In a previous blog I explained in detail why worm manure is much better than fertilizer. Lava flour helps to increase acidity in a natural way and contains a lot of silicon. Silicon increases the resistance of the crop and to drought, diseases and pests. Mealworm manure is an important source of Chitin. This substance helps to keep pests at bay and ensures better root attachment.

Poison-free & organic

I don’t just choose organic bulbs because I want to keep the poison out of my own garden, in order to protect the insects. But also because I want to support the organic bulb nursery. In regular bulb cultivation, a lot of poison is used. Organic bulb farmers not only do not use poison and fertilizer, but also opt for non-reversing tillage. Instead of plowing, they use green manures and mechanically put the bulbs in the ground without tossing the soil. better for the soil and the soil animals. At the moment, the majority of bulbs are not yet grown organically. Partly because there is too little demand. Do something about it and plant organic bulbs.

Progress in the picture: