This guide is for gardeners who want to grow delicious, flavourful, and nutrient-dense food. Soils are different all over the world. If you live in the Pacific Northwest or Coastal British Columbia, and you want to grow food, this fertilizer mix is appropriate for you. In this guide you will learn the best practices and organic amendments necessary to build and maintain a healthy garden.  We will dive into the elements required to grow award-winning, nutritious, and delicious food.

I find it exciting to explore the new science on regenerative farming, mineralization, and the potential impacts on nutrition and human health!

This content is for educational purposes only and reflects the soil management approach we use on our own farm and teach in our workshops. It is not professional agronomic advice, a fertilizer recommendation, or a prescription for your operation. Always obtain independent soil tests and consult a qualified local agronomist or certified crop advisor before making fertility decisions. We accept no liability for any outcomes resulting from the application of ideas discussed here.

Complete Organic Fertilizer:

This recipe is from Steve Solomon’s book the intelligent gardener. For Gardens on land that was formerly forest. It covers 100 SQ Ft.

3 Quarts Oil Seed Meal such as Alfala, soybean, or cottonseed meal or else:

1 1/2 Quarts Feathermeal or fishmeal (Smelly)
or, the best combination is probably:

2 Quart Seed Meal
1 Pint Feather Meal
1 Pint Fish Meal

plus

1 Quart Colloidal Rock Phosphate or Bone Meal

1 Quart Kelp Meal and 1 pint Azomite (For Trace Minerals)

2 Pint Agricultural Limestone 100# (Fine Grind) and

2 Pint Agricultural Gypsum

Consider These Optional:

1 TSPN laundry Borax or smaller quantity of Solubor (1/2gm actual boron)

1.5 TSPN Zinc Sulfate

1 TSPN Copper Sulfate

2 TSPN Manganese Sulfate

Application Rate 6-8 Quarts per 100 SQ FT.

Our goal is to grow delicious, nutrient rich, healthy food for ourselves and our families.

Animal studies over the last hundred years have shown that if you want to fatten the cow for slaughter, you feed it corn. If you want to make it healthy to breed the next generation, you feed it minerals.

Unfortunately, humans are now eating a lot of corn. We are eating a lot of calorie rich, but nutrient poor foods.

Based on the government of Canada’s research the majority of Canadians are not consuming the recommended daily amount of many vitamins and minerals needed to get sufficient nutrition (1)

It appears that the majority of Canadians are not receiving the recommended daily amounts of calcium, magnesium, iodine, zinc, selenium, & molybdenum.

Inadequate intakes of vitamin B6, vitamin B12, folate, zinc, and iron are also prevalent in certain groups, such as adolescents. 

Elders are particularly at risk of developing deficiencies of essential trace minerals, such as copper, iodine, molybdenum, selenium, zinc, and manganese. This paper shows consistent nutritional insufficiency for selenium, zinc, iodine and copper in older adults. (2)

Some of these are metals on the periodic table of elements. And some essential trace elements for health, like copper and zinc, are not formed on earth. They are formed when stars explode, and they accumulated on earth by the bombardment of asteroids. Yes, like gold, zinc and copper are formed by moons exploding and stars going Hypernova casting off the rich mineral contents into space.

So why are we not getting the essential vitamins and minerals we need? Well, one study shows the nutrient density of vegetables in the 1950s versus vegetables now. In the last sixty years, there has been an alarming decline in food quality and a decrease in a wide variety of nutritionally essential minerals. (3)

Solving the challenge of a degrading food supply may be the biggest challenge for future generations health.

There is also a monumental work called Nutrition and Physical Degeneration by Weston A Price that I recommend everyone read. It shows the dental records of populations across the world as they shifted from their traditional foods to a diet of refined sugar and white flour. It shows with in depth photos how this impacted health across the world. It shows the incidences of dental cavities and facial deformations in the generations after the shift to processed foods. His research showed that physical degeneration was from lack of nutrition, not racial interbreeding which it was previously attributed to. If you want to see real evidence of the impact of nutrition on human health, this book is a good place to start.

Why are we not consuming enough vitamins and minerals in our food?

Some reasons this may have happened is depletion of minerals from our soil. In the Pacific Northwest, the heavy rainfall leads to leaching of minerals. Some elements like boron, calcium, phosphorus, copper, and sulfur are not always present in sufficient quantities to grow healthy food.

Another reason is that non organic agriculture uses salt based fertilizers. In Jane Squier‘s talk she showed that when salt based fertilizers are used, plants which normally develop root hairs, do not develop root hairs at all.

When growing organically in living soil a plant develops root hairs and releases these from the root hairs. These sugars are called root exudates. The plant creates sugars by absorbing sunlight through the process of photosynthesis. It then uses over half of the sugars that it makes to feed the soil food web in exchange for mining and protection services. The nutrients are exchanged by the roots and soil life through the process of Rhizophagy; a symbiotic process where plants absorb and “eat” microbes, extracting nutrients from them for growth and nutrient cycling. The rhizophagy cycle involves the exchange of nitrogen (N) and various micronutrients, including iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), cobalt (Co), boron (B), and magnesium (Mg)

Organic acids like humic acid and fulvic acids form when organic matter is decomposing. These organic acids can take a particle of a mineral like dolomite, which is a magnesium and calcium crystal, and turn it into a soluble form that plants can take up into their leaves, stems, and fruit. It takes a living soil food web to transform these earth minerals and metals into a soluble form that can get into our fruit and vegetables.

When we consume these mineral and nutrient rich plants we bring these elements into our own bodies.

Are you aware of mycorrhizal fungi? Mycorrhizal fungi has relationships with almost all plants on earth. They work together as partners. The Fungi wraps around or within the plant roots and extends the roots reach up to 10 times, bringing in more nutrients and water. There is a bacteria that rides on the tip of a fungal hyphae, and secretes an organic acid, absorbing a particle of a trace mineral or metallic element and pulls it back through the fungal Hyphae. The fungi then trades that mineral in exchange for sugars from the plant. Nitrogen (N), Phosphorus (P), potassium(K), zinc(Zn), copper(Cu), and water are the primary resources the fungus provides to the plant.

By having both a living soil and adding the specific earth minerals, metals, and trace elements that are missing in the soil we can grow more nutrient-rich, delicious, giant vegetables. It doesn’t matter if it’s apples or squash, or potatoes or kale. These plants will pull these essential vitamins and minerals into their fruit and leaves if they are in the soil in the soluble form.

So what are the most important minerals to add to Soil? I like Steve Solomon’s book “The Intelligent Gardener – Growing Nutrient Dense Food”. He has a complete organic fertilizer recipe that works well for the Pacific Northwest and Cascadia. He recommends agricultural limestone, which is a calcium carbonate as well as gypsum, which is a calcium sulphur compound. He also recommends seed meal or a mix of seed meal, feather meal, and fish meal for the nitrogen component. He recommends bonemeal or collodial rock phosphate for the phosphorus. He recommends kelp meal and Azomite to add trace minerals. He also recommends using a teaspoon of specific trace elements If your soil test indicates they are lacking. These four elements include boron, manganese, zinc, and copper. These are applied in their elemental forms.

How much of these minerals do we need? His Fertilizer recommendation applies a total of 26 cups per 100SQ Ft.

For new gardens, that’s 12 cup of a Nitrogen based ammendment, 4 cups of a Phosphorus based ammendment, 6 cups of trace minerals, 4 cups of agricultural lime, and 4 cups of Gypsum per 100sq ft.

Soil tests in the pacific Northwest typically shows a very acid pH of 5 to 5.5. which indicates the soil is too acid for growing really great vegetable. Great tasting nutrient rich vegetables grow better at a pH of around 6.5 – Limestone is used to saturate the soil to increase the PH and make it easier for plants to absorb nutrients and trace minerals.

What is PH anyways? pH is a measure of acidity and alkalinity and it refers to how many hydrogen atoms are in a solution. What it really refers to how hungry the soil is. Hydrogen sticks to the soil if there is no other elements to displace it. If you have a low PH, you’ve typically got a deficiency in calcium. We need to fill the pantry with nutrients. If you have a clay soil or high organic matter that can hold onto a lot more nutrients than a sandy soil.

Organic matter and clay particles electrostatically hold on to elements. Each element has a positive or negative charge and these positive and negative charges allow them to stick to clay and organic matter. There is something called the TCEC, which it refers to the Total Cation Exchange Capacity. This measures how many nutrients can stick onto your soil; how much it can hold onto. Sandy soils have a lower CEC and can’t hold onto as much fertilizer. Clay soils, and soils with a high percentage of organic matter can have a higher TCEC.

Organic matter by itself, added as compost or manure, doesn’t really contain a lot of nutrients. Compost does not contain enough nutrients to grow a great crop. Especially calcium; there isn’t a lot of calcium that comes out the back end of a horse. Where organic matter shines is that it gives the capacity to hold onto and store nutrients. Really great compost and manures also have a lot of biology. Protecting and supporting this biology is key to fostering a living soil which secretes organic acids and humic substances which convert the minerals and trace elements in the plant soluble forms.

So how much of these elements do we need to add to grow really healthy amazing food?

When I do a soil test in the lab gives recommendations on how much fertilizers to add based on the crop I intent to grow. It gives recommendations of ammendments per acre. ex: 100LB Nitrogen, 50lbs of P, 100Lb of K, 30LB of Magnesium, 10LB of sulfur , 1lbs Manganese, 2 lbs Boron and a ton of Lime. 1 Tons of Lime is 2000LBS! Pearl of wisdom is that the Calcium Saturation is important for growing food, especially if you start with an acidic soil. There is a soil scientist William Albrecht in the 1930s that stated desired Base Saturation levels of key nutrients for optimal growth. William Albrecht proposed a desired level of 65-70% Calcium, 10-12% Magnesium, & 3-5% Potassium.

Some gardeners in the pacific northwest use Dolomite for their source of lime. If a soil test indicates low Magnesium, use Dolomite to supply sufficient magnesium. However if I was to use dolomite to satisfy the soil’s calcium requirements I would be adding way too much magnesium. When I add too much magnesium to a heavy clay soil, it tightens up and gets incredibly hard to work. If I’m living up in the mountains on a sandy soil and I lime with dolomite, a magnesium excess might not be as important. But a magnesium excess in a heavy clay soil like Burgoyne Valley can make it really difficult to Farm. That’s why Steve Solomon in his book the intelligent gardener recommends to use agricultural lime, which is just calcium carbonate as well as gypsum which is calcium sulphur to supply the recommended amounts of calcium needed.

If you’d like to run a soil test prior to adding amendments, that’s a great way to learn. We recommend A&L Labs for Soil Tests. All of the soil tests we’ve done on Salt Spring Island show low boron & low sulfur. In addition, every soil test on old hay fields, old orchards, and new gardens show low calcium.

Overall, based on the soil tests I’ve reviewed, I think Steve Solomon’s Complete Organic Fertilizer Mix is an excellent mix for growing nutrient dense food in Coastal British Columbia.

Wow, that’s a really nerdy explanation that got somewhat complex! Can we simplify it a bit? Yes! If you want to save time and spend a bit of money here is the three amendments that would increase your nutrient density of food in your garden.

1. A bag of mixed organic fertilizer
2. A bag of agricultural limestone
3. A bag of kelp meal

I would apply the mixed organic fertilizer at 4 quarts per 100 Sq ft.

I would apply the agricultural lime at the recommended rate of 4 quarts per 100 sq ft

I would apply the kelp meal at 2 quart per 100 sq ft.

That simple recipe is as follows:

Mixed organic fertilizer 4 quarts (16 cups)

Agricultural lime, 2 quarts (8 cups)

Kelp meal 1 quart ( 4 cups)

Mix and Apply across 100 ft.²

Is there any way to increase the nutrient richness of food without buying fertilizers?

Yes! Although buying amendments is the fastest way to apply meaningful amounts of calcium and trace minerals to the garden, there is other ways. First you need a good source of organic matter. Organic matter doesn`t supply signifigant fertilizer but it does increase the Total Cation Exchange Capacity (TCEC) or size of the pantry shelf to hold the nutrients. A composted Manure, quality compost, or decomposed decidious wood chips are all excellent choices for organic matter. You can also add small amounts of clay to increase the TCEC and nutrient holding capacity.

Next you want to add some limestone. Unfortunately egg shells don’t provide meaningful amounts, and bones or shells take forever to break down unless heated to extremely high temperatures. This is where a bag of limestone at around $15 is worth purchasing.

After you`ve got the compost and lime down, next is to add a thick layer of leaves as mulch. Our local decidous trees, especially big Leaf Maple, is an excellent deep tap rooted mineral accumulator and carries many minerals in its leaves. By mulching deeply with Maple leaves you can create an amazingly rich leaf mold that is full of sugars to feed the biology and minerals to grow healthy food.

Finally, after a winter storm go to the beach and collect seaweed that has washed above the high tide line. Only go to places that have large populations of abundant seaweed to respect and preserve our local ocean. Seaweed is abundant in trace minerals and can act as an excellent adition to the garden. You only need to add a small layer, a 5 gallon bucket per 100sq ft to add essential trace minerals and iodine to your soil. Domestic Harvesting of less than 100kg of wet weight of aquatic plants for personal use does not require a wild aquatic plant license. Avoid harvesting from protected areas like provincial parks, native reserves, or ecological reserves. As harvesting seaweed is a tradition practiced by the indigenous people since time immemorial, I believe if we are respectful, take only when it is in abundance and Leave no trace then this is an acceptable practice. If the goal is to provide nutrient dense food for ourselves and our famlies to extent our lifespan, energy, and vitality so we can be of service to our community and it`s only a couple buckets for our personal garden I feel that this is acceptable.

In Summary,

We are not eating enough nutrient dense food to provide the recommended daily amounts of essential vitamins and minerals to our families. This may be the biggest challenge for future generations health.

We can help grow stronger healthier community by giving families and elders access to more nutrient dense food. The way to do this is through applying regenerative agriculture technology to local farms; specifically doing soil testing & community scale remineralization programs of local gardens, community gardens, and farms.

The key elements required include Nitrogen, Calcium, Phosphorus, Magnesium, Sulfur, as well as trace elements Boron, Copper, Zinc, & Manganese.

This can be supplied through a Complete Organic Fertilizer Mix using Seed Meal, Fish Meal, Feather Meal, Agricultural Lime, Gypsum, Dolomite, Rock Phosphate, Kelp Meal, Azomite, and specific Trace Minerals in their Elemental Form.

This can also be supplemented through the sustainable harvest and application of local renewable resources such as manures, maple leaves, seaweed, and wood chips of decidous hardwood trees such as Willow, maple, alder, Cottonwood, and Arbutus.

I hope you enjoyed this article. If you have any questions contact me at info@nigelkay.ca

Want to try a bucket of Complete Organic Fertilizer for your garden?
$100 for a 5 Gallon Bucket. Covers 100SQ FT.

References:

Ahmed, Mavra, et al. “Nutrient Intakes of Canadian Adults: Results from the Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS)–2015 Public Use Microdata File.” The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, vol. 114, no. 3, 21 May 2021, https://doi.org/10.1093/ajcn/nqab143.

Tako, Elad. “Dietary Trace Minerals.” Nutrients, vol. 11, no. 11, 19 Nov. 2019, p. 2823, https://doi.org/10.3390/nu11112823. Accessed 9 Mar. 2020.

Vural, Zeynep, et al. “Trace Mineral Intake and Deficiencies in Older Adults Living in the Community and Institutions: A Systematic Review.” Nutrients, vol. 12, no. 4, 1 Apr. 2020, p. 1072, www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/12/4/1072, https://doi.org/10.3390/nu12041072. Accessed 17 Apr. 2020.