The Challenge

Located at the base of a low mountain ridge, we are not blessed with rich, river-bottom soil. Rather, we have an abundance of clay and stones (hence the name). Nonetheless, with persistence, time, and help from Mother Nature, it is possible to build soil. By making use of resources we already have on-site,

we are steadily transforming dirt into soil.

Our strategy for building soil and improving fertility depends upon the area and the intended use. The farm consists of 4 main areas:  garden, shrubbery beds, fields, and forest.

Garden

Year by year we've slowly expanded the size of our garden. Preparing an intended growing area begins with clearing stones, roots, and rocks (eventually to be repurposed into dry stone walls).

To increase organic matter and nitrogen, we first
add a thick layer of grass clippings, which in our case includes a generous amount of weeds—undoubtedly higher in nutrients than grass alone. Although a certain amount of weed seed is inevitable, adding a thick layer of clippings and other mulch is reasonably effective in suppressing most weeds. 

When available, we also add carbon-rich dried leaves and aged chicken manure, along with composted food scraps. We are fortunate to have a multitude of branches and the ability
to chip them up. We also gladly receive woodchips from local tree trimming companies. Woodchip mulch initially serves to suppress weeds, retain moisture, and regulate soil temperatures. As woodchips break down over time, they add carbon and dark, rich compost. Woodchips also provide the ideal environment to support fungal life and the development of mycelium: white, thread-like structures that decompose organic matter and facilitate plant nutrient and water absorption. Mycelium also adds oxygen to the soil, benefiting roots.

While a no-till garden is the ultimate goal, it has been necessary to do some grading and rototilling to aerate

and incorporate organic matter into compacted ground.

As discussed in a preceding page, biochar is also a very useful addition to the soil, providing aeration, moisture regulation, and structure for micro-organisms essential to soil fertility. Because biochar prevents leaching, it retains

nitrates needed by plant roots. However, until such time as we generate enough biochar to apply to the entire garden,

we apply it selectively to planting holes.

Having invested many hours of labor in the initial stages, we anticipate significantly less work in subsequent seasons, but already the results are rewarding:

Aerobic Composting

While layering organic matter across the garden surface provides distributed
composting, we also collaborated with
Bucknell University to establish a dedicated composting system both on
our farm and at the university campus farm, known as the Johnson-Su Bioreactor. Developed by Hui Chun Su and molecular biologist Dr. David Johnson of New Mexico State University and California State University, this system offers the following advantages:

• No turning, less work (turning compost   disrupts the thread-like fungal mycelia
  ​critical to soil health)
• Aerobic, no smells, does not attract
  ​flies or vermin
• Generates a more balanced
  fungal-bacterial compost
• Maximizes microbial diversity and quantity

Shrubberry Beds

Our flower and shrubbery beds do not receive the same kind of time and attention that the garden does, but we use a similar approach of layering organic matter with a top mulch of woodchips. In one particularly large area susceptible to rainstorm runoff, we created a comparably large bed with sufficient organic matter to absorb the excess water. Because we did not want to till the hard clay ground (!),

we used the Hugelkultur technique of first applying a

layer of large branches as the base. The structure of the branches assures aeration within the bed, as well as moisture retention, and contributes nutrients as they slowly decay. Upon those branches we added pulled weeds, garden debris, and grass clippings. Then, thanks to the township road crew, we added an enormous load of compressed dried leaves. This coming season we will chip downed branches to finish the bed with a top layer of woodchips.

Fields

Our fields do have a layer of topsoil, but after a foot or so, there are increasing amounts of clay (and the ever-present rocks). The fields have not been tilled for a number of years, but

we mow them several times a season to keep thistles and other undesirable weeds at bay.

The mix of grasses, dandelions, milkweed, and wildflowers serve to prevent soil erosion and contribute small amounts of organic matter with each mowing. Although adding biochar to the entire acreage would provide numerous benefits, it would require far more biochar than we have been able to produce to date. However, it is feasible to apply biochar to trial plots.

Forest

With annual fallen leaves, branches, and trees uprooted by storms (plus wildlife contributions), the forest has been building soil fertility for as long as it has existed. However, climate change presents multiple challenges to forest health. Among other things, invasive plants rob nutrients

from desirable native species. Without protective measures, excessive deer populations ravage emerging seedlings

and young saplings. The emerald ash borer decimated innumerable ash trees throughout much of the United States, including dozens of our own trees.

Converting dead trees and timber residue into biochar

is a way to generate benefit from woody biomass lacking commercial value. Adding biochar to forests improves nutrient acquisition and improves soil resilience against drought, insects, and disease. See the page on Biochar

for more specifics on biochar's benefit to forests.​

Important:  When applying biochar to forests, use "raw" biochar

that has not been inoculated with compost or manure.  Forests need

fungal-dominant organisms rather than bacterial-dominant microbes.