5 Ways to Improve Your Soil - With Mexican Sunflower & More.

How I improved solid clay into rich fertile soil, using free and cheap methods including growing your own soil fertility at home.
00:00 Why most soil is not fertile
00:57 Buying Compost in Bulk
02:00 Why using wood chip is so good
05:30 How to make wood chip break down faster
05:24 Grow your own fertility with Tithonia Diversifolia - Mexican Sunflower
08:40 Growing cover crops
09:42 Using Comfrey to block grass
11:25 Effect of compost on tree tomato (tamerillo)
I have used a variety of different methods to improve my soil fertility from adding compost to growing my own plants which provide a massive amount of fertility in NPK in a huge amount of bio mass.
The quickest way is to bulk buy compost from landscaping supply stores, however this is also the most expensive. You can create your own compost quickly by adding large amounts of wood chip direct to the soil, this will provide a mulch in the first instance and later decompose down into great compost. Another method is to grow your own. You could grow a cover crop such as borich of vetch or mustard or you could grow a nitrogen fixing plant such as peas or beans. The slight issue with cover crops is that you need a vegetable patch to grow them in and so they are taking up valuable growing space and so for this reason it is not my favourite method.
My tow favourite methods of growing my own fertility are to grow Mexican Sunflower (Tithonia Diversifolia) or by growing comfrey. Both of these plants add masses of nutrition to the soil. However you do need to exercise some caution with the cultivars of Tithonia as some of them can spread out of control. Getting a non seeding variety is essential if you live in a warm climate where the plants will not be killed off each year by frost

[@kellyhaggett3978]

Brilliant episode. We are all loving this content Dano! ❤

[@projectparadiseNZ]

Thanks. High quality fruits and veggies on the way. C

[@kellyhaggett3978]

@@projectparadiseNZhow lucky are we 🎉❤

[@prubroughton1864]

Would I be able to get some cuttings of this. I have only been able to get annual seeding variety I am in New Zealand in Kaipara I understand you are a bit north of me

[@projectparadiseNZ]

You'd be very welcome to cuttings but I am quite far from you (actually south). Your best bet might be to look on local permaculture groups on Facebook. It is popular in those circles. There is also Permadynamics in Northland (Matapouri) if you are ever over that way.