• RBWells@lemmy.world
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    6 months ago

    Compost is a home project (and available in some cities as part of the waste management system) and nutritious for plants; but most of the things I grow as food I don’t fertilize much or any. The fruit trees once a year or so, the garden soil sometimes in between planting or when growing watermelon or squash, bigger things do need some extra fertilizer (and tomatoes like some) but most seem to do fine with good soil and crop rotation/companion planting. Farmers have to use more because they’ve depleted the soil with monoculture. I still don’t think it’s cost effective when time is factored in, but it’s better fresher food and not as fussy as farming.

    • FiniteBanjo
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      6 months ago

      Genius, you just keep putting back less than you take and it lasts forever~! How come nobody thought of that? Snark put aside for a moment, I think composting on a large scale should be done, even in urban environments, but it won’t impact the statement I made even a single bit.

      • RBWells@lemmy.world
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        6 months ago

        Dunno what to tell you - different plants put different things into and out of the soil, we cut the grass in the yard, and the bushes and things, all sorts of stuff can go into the pile that becomes nutrients and of course plants eat sunshine, not just soil nutrients. It’s been working a few years and the soil keeps improving.

        Farming is a whole different thing and more reliant on fertilizer.