From the Dept. of "We Could Have Told You That."

1.  Worms are good.  Really good. Greenhouse tomatoes grown in a mixture of worm compost and coconut fiber produced more marketable tomatoes than those grown in rockwool.   Well--yeah, who'd want to live in rockwool?

2.  You don't need all that damn potassium fertlizer.  Belgrade's ancient fortress, built of white limestone, is turning black thanks to the overuse of fertilizer in the flower beds around the site, which is now a tourist attraction. C'mon, people. Enough already!

3.  Fusarium can kill you.  Okay, we didn't warn you about that one before.  But in case you hadn't had time to become really, really terrified of anything yet today, there's this:  Fusarium (yes, the plant fungus) also comes in strains that can live in your bathroom sink drain and attack you when you least expect it! Such as when you're washing your contact lenses!

Happy Wednesday, everybody!

Comments

[Roberta]

For the love of worms! My heart skips a beat whenever I come across a few in a spadeful of soil.

[tibs]

I am confused. Do they normally grow tomatoes in rockwool? Isn't that the isnulation stuff that looks like angel hair for a christmas tree? Would anything grow in rockwool?

[Susan]

According to wikipedia, yes, they do normally grow plants hydroponically in that stuff, though a certain type of treated version. I'll still with my worm poo.

[greg draiss]

You can add Fox Farm Ferts to rockwool and then have worm poop in the nute mix

The TROLL

[A. Marina Fournier]

When I was in Santa Cruz, there was a sporting good store which was my only source for earthworms for a number of years, before the nurseries started selling them.

Once I started buying them to enrich my garden soil, I felt responsible for their safety in the rainy season when they'd venture onto pavement. I'd pick them up gently and take them back to soil, so they wouldn't suffer fools or dry up.

[Bret]

The further we can stray from conventional production and the closer we can come to organic production is where agriculture should be. I am an Organic Bucket Gardener and I do not want synthetics to win.