Are you still fighting weeds and pests in the country, earning yourself sciatica? But adherents of organic farming prefer to be friends with nature, rather than fight. But in order to live the same way, you will have to start with a radical change in the way of thinking about the purpose of agriculture, about what is the “correct” garden.

What is organic farming: basic principles

Organic farming as a branch of agricultural technology has emerged since the end of the 19th century, and rumors, disputes and discussions around this method of cultivating the land still do not subside. There are also many approaches and theories within the adherents of this direction of agriculture. But the essence is the same: organic farming is, first of all, a careful, sparing attitude to nature, maintaining the natural balance and ecosystems, refusing to use mineral fertilizers and pesticides.

Organic farming has many interchangeable definitions, synonymous terms: natural, ecological, biological, natural, life-giving farming.

Basic principles of organic farming:

1. Refusal of plowing, digging of the earth. In this way, it is believed that a healthy balance of the soil ecosystem is maintained. And healthy soil means healthy plants that can resist diseases and pests.
2. Growing environmentally friendly products. Complete rejection of the use of mineral fertilizers and pesticides. Weed and pest control methods are reduced to the prevention and use of herbal, folk methods.
3. The ground must always be covered with vegetation. Green manure crops are widely used here - fast-growing crops planted after the main crops on temporarily empty land.
4. Less laborious processing of the site, giving with a greater and better result. Farming is fun, not hard work.

Natural farming guru

"Relieve your ardor, gardener!" - with these words, as a rule, the well-known author of many books on biological farming B.A. begins his appeal at lectures to gardeners. Bagel. In the traditional idea of ​​the “correct” garden, many summer residents see such an exemplary garden: ideal even beds and rows of crops, not a single weed, and also a lot of hard work.

All these myths are debunked by fans of ecological farming. They believe that labor does not have to be slavish and exhausting. And it is much more useful for both man and nature to maintain the natural order of things in the ecosystem. “Spy” on nature, learn from it, apply the acquired knowledge and observations in your summer cottage.

Advice. If you decide to move away from traditional farming to natural farming, for inspiration, we recommend reading several books on the topic: One Straw Revolution by Masanobu Fukooka; "Agrarian revolutionary" Sepp Holzer; "About the garden for the thrifty and lazy" Bublik B.A.

So, Sepp Holzer has 45 hectares of land and cultivates it alone with his wife with a minimum of agricultural machinery: he has only one tractor. B.A. Bublik believes that steel has no place in the garden and refuses shovels, choppers, does not even loosen the soil with a pitchfork, but puts it “under the stick”, watering it only with ice water (not higher than 9 degrees). And the author of many works on natural farming, G. Kizima, well-known in Russia, preaches three “not”: do not dig, do not weed, do not water.

Practice natural farming in spring and autumn

You can switch from traditional to organic farming at any time of the year. One of the main methods of biological farming is the rejection of deep digging of the earth. It is believed that by raising the layer of earth more than 5 cm, the ecosystem is thereby disturbed. The earth eventually becomes poorer, with beneficial microorganisms, beetles, worms, etc. appearing in insufficient quantities. Which leads in the future to the need to use mineral fertilizers, which are harmful to both nature and humans.

Natural farming allows you to get environmentally friendly vegetables and fruits

The soil for sowing the crop is not dug up, but slightly raised with a pitchfork (ideally no more than 2.5 cm). Some farmers do not even use a pitchfork, but put them under the stick. That is, they stick a stick into the ground and plant seeds or seedlings in place of the formed hole. After sowing, the land is mulched with straw, sawdust, peat, rotted compost, etc.

Advice. For planting plants “under a stick”, you can use a stalk from a shovel or another stick that is convenient for working along the length. To do this, she sharpens the end with a cone, which will be stuck into the ground. For convenience, you can also make a handle at the top of the stick, and a limiter pedal at the bottom.

Due to the active use of mulch, which does not allow moisture to evaporate, watering is done much less frequently. Mulch is also one of the main ways to control weeds. But it is better to use mulching on proven crops: potatoes, strawberries, cucumbers, tomatoes. There are plants that "do not favor" mulching, preferring open and hot soil: corn, watermelons, melons.

With the help of mulching, the land is cultivated on virgin soil. To do this, prepare the beds in the fall as follows:

1. They mow the grass.
2. They fall asleep with manure: horse, chicken.
3. Lay a layer of mulch, for example, straw with a layer of 30 cm.
4. In the spring, remove the layer of mulch, select the remaining weed roots with your hands and plant seeds or seedlings.

You can also cover the beds with dense material, for example: roofing material, pieces of linoleum. It is useful to cover a layer of mulch with a film on top - this will speed up the process of overheating and decay of the weed on virgin soil.
All listed actions can be applied in the country, both in spring and autumn.

Siderates are our everything

One of the agricultural practices, which is an integral part of biological farming, is the planting of green manure on temporarily empty land. According to many farmers, these crops are the best natural fertilizer. For these purposes, such fast-growing and micronutrient-rich plants are used, such as:

• legumes;
• mustard;

• clover;
• colza;
• spring rapeseed;
• rye.

Green manure can be planted in spring, summer and autumn. In spring, such fast-growing and frost-resistant plants are planted as: mustard, rape, phacelia. They are sown very early and grow until it is time to plant the main crop. Then the green manure is cut with a flat cutter a few centimeters below ground level, and the main plants are planted in the soil prepared in this way. Tops, stems can be used as a shelter for beds with crops.

In autumn, rye and mustard are most often sown. Sowing is done after harvesting vegetables. Rye is harvested at the end of autumn, cutting the stems at the base. And the mustard goes under the snow. In the spring, it is cut with a flat cutter and the main crops are planted.

Organic farming is an environmentally friendly production based on respect for nature and human health. There are many techniques and methods of natural farming. But, in any case, each site is individual. There are no absolutely identical sites in terms of soil composition, microclimate, and list of planted crops. What fans of organic farming do not get tired of repeating is: “Listen, look at your land, your plants. And put the acquired knowledge into practice. Nature must be trusted always, every day.”

For many gardeners, the plots look like this: bare land, plants are weak, sick. Pests inflict great harm, part of the crop is thrown away. For such summer residents, gardening is hard work.

Plots of other gardeners - blooming gardens. Plants are strong and healthy. Pests fly by. Yields are good. For them, the garden is joy, relaxation and pleasure. Everything they do is easy and simple.

And it seems that these gardeners know the magic words. They may be familiar to them, but the main secret is that they use natural farming methods.
What kind of garden do you have? Do you work hard in the garden or enjoy it? What are your yields?

Download the special issue for beginners "Secrets high yields»,
PDF, 6.4 MB

Now they write a lot about natural farming and gardeners began to use it on their plots. Many of them began to receive good harvests with minimum cost strength and time. And some things don't stick. A holistic approach is important here. The result is not one of some methods, but their combined application.

Our friends, Anna Stepanovna and Semyon Petrovich, have been engaged in natural farming for seven years. And the yields are good, and everything is easy for them.

A relative, Svetlana Alekseevna, came to visit them.
And as expected, her owners took her on an excursion to the garden. And everything is great with them: even beds, healthy plants, greenery everywhere, despite the fact that it is already autumn. The guest was very surprised by what she saw, everything was new to her:
and covered beds, and green manure crops.

And questions rained down one after another, and Stepanovna answered them with pleasure.

How Eggs Taught Chickens

Now Petrovich and I are advanced gardeners, but before we did everything like everyone else.
And it was like that.

We came to visit our son, it was seven years ago. The joyful son shows some kind of squiggle and says:

“Look what a thing I wrote out by mail from Fokine. It's called a flat cutter! Let's not dig now!

We were indignant, made some noise: “ Teach your grandmother to suck eggs. You are a very young son. We have been working on earth all our lives and we know everything.
And you’re doing something completely wrong ... You won’t succeed. ”. He answers us: "This is my land, I will do what I want". I was very upset then, but my son will not grow anything, what will they eat. And Petrovich reassured me: “ We have good harvests, we will give the children both potatoes and carrots. They won't disappear in winter.

And after all, the son then grew a crop without digging, proving that the earth does not need to be dug, and explained why.

Digging damages the soil because it:

1. microorganisms are killed and earthworms. The soil becomes dead, loses its fertility.
2. The structure of the soil is destroyed. Such soil is washed away by rains and carried away by winds.
3. Soil channels are broken. As a result, moisture and air do not enter the root zone.
4. The soil is drying up.

The earth is a living organism, and it does not stand thoughtlessly
and interfere with her life with impunity.

You, Alekseevna, probably thought how then to cultivate the land without digging. And everything is simple: the earth only needs to be loosened. I loosen with a Fokin flat cutter, and you can also use a Swift cultivator or a hoe.

And here's what's most interesting about this story. Petrovich, who then said that the children had gone crazy and that they needed to be educated, now does not dig the earth, but does not let go of the flat cutter. And he only plants potatoes under a flat cutter and spuds them, and everything is only with a flat cutter. And he thanks his son for science. Petrovich now has two favorite instruments. One is a flat cutter. And the second is a braid.

You feel like if you stop digging
will the earth become solid?

And now, Alekseevna, what is it like with you? And now it's solid. Well, look, my dear, what happens: you dig the earth every year, but it is still hard for you, which means that it is not a shovel that makes the earth loose.

1. Flat cutter is Petrovich's favorite tool. It loosens the ground, cuts weeds, spuds and much more.
2. Hoe - for cutting rye and green manure, for processing heavy soil.
3. Strizh cultivator is a light tool for loosening and cutting weeds.

In nature, everything is arranged very wisely. The roots of plants that remain in the ground rot, after which channels remain. Earthworms and bugs also live in the soil, after which there are also passages. And the soil becomes like a sponge.

And you climb there with your shovel, you destroy it all, that's why your earth hardens after the rains.

This is how it used to be when I was digging the ground:

After the rains, the water spread in all directions, not absorbed into the ground. There were large cracks in the paths and in the beds. I had to constantly loosen the beds. The earth was not alive.

And now my land is loose, and when it rains, all the water goes into the ground and is stored there:

After the rain, I don't have to do anything. Under the grass, the earth is loose, does not dry, does not crack, and weeds do not grow. My land is healthy now.

Well, finally, Alekseevna, you understood everything and you will no longer dig the earth. Well, that's not all. To restore the soil, to make it alive, you still need to sow green manure.

But I will tell you about this later. And now:

Here is my onion grown - handsome:

This is how my carrots grow without digging:

What is yours? Crooked and crooked, you say. Do you know why? You pamper her too much, water her often. And we water it only at the beginning, while it is still small. When it gets bigger, I mulch it with grass and almost never go near it anymore. Let her draw water for herself from the depths of the earth.
Do you know what mulching is? I never knew either. Now I'll tell you.

Beds under cover

Somehow the children came to visit us and say:
“We will show you this now! We will cover the beds with grass - mulch.
We did not understand anything: what to hide, why hide?

They tell us: “Well, if you don’t want to, let’s mulch at least half of the garden with garlic, see what the difference will be.” We tried it and saw that where the earth was covered with grass, weeds almost did not grow, it was necessary to water less often, moisture remained under the grass and it was no longer necessary to loosen the earth. We liked it very much.

On the left - garlic without mulch, on the right - mulched garlic.

But the question arose.
Where can I get grass for mulching on 6 acres?

At that time, the neighbors abandoned their site. So Petrovich thought of taking an old scythe, undermined it and grass appeared for mulching. If earlier I hinted to Petrovich that it was necessary to mow the grass and cover the potatoes with it, otherwise it was very hot, the earth overheated, the tubers would not grow. Now Petrovich mows himself, and not only the neighbor's abandoned plot, but also walks further away. I got up in the morning and went to mow. As in childhood! And Petrovich is pleased, and the benefits are great for plants.

In addition, I have eliminated the problem of weeds and weeding. And for Petrovich, the problem of watering also disappeared by itself. The main thing is to lay grass on the beds.

And last hot summer, a neighbor told a story. I went to collect beetles on potatoes. And those bugs that accidentally fell to the ground jumped. The neighbor was surprised that the beetles can jump. Of course, we walk on the ground in shoes, and if you put us barefoot on hot ground, then we will jump.

What is it like for plant roots in hot earth?
In hot, dry summers, mulch is a real lifesaver.

As you stomp, so you pop

I now mulch everything. Cabbage, cucumbers, tomatoes, because Petrovich is no longer young to run around the beds with watering cans.

I also mulch strawberries. Oh how I love her. And the grandchildren just love it. And it grows so chic for me that no one in the district has such a berry.

Neighbors say: "You have a special variety, give me a mustache." Every year I give everyone a mustache. They complain: “You gave us the wrong mustache, you have gorgeous bushes, buckets of berries, but nothing grows here.”

I give them the same mustache as I plant myself, only they look after her differently than I do.

What do I do in autumn?

After harvesting, I cut the old leaves, put compost under the bushes, and Petrovich waters it. At first he did not want to, but when he saw the effect, now he does it himself. It turns out that her new crop is laid in August-September, and if it is dry, how will she gain strength?

In spring and summer.

In the spring, I loosen it, add more compost-humus, if it suddenly freezes, I cover it with a covering. Then I mulch it and water it with Radiance. And in the summer I feed with infusion of biohumus so that the bushes have enough strength for all the berries.

I tell my neighbors, but they listen, listen, but don’t do it. So they don’t get the harvests that I do. They think that since the variety is good, the berries should grow on their own. But that doesn't happen. You have to put in a little effort.

Here, Alekseevna, you say that mulching is ugly. You love when the earth is black and clean on your beds. And I will answer you that this is a delusion.

1. Mulched beds look very nice.
2. In your beds, the earth overheats and the plants do not grow well. My soil is cool under mulch.
3. Your ground is cracking, but mine is not.
4. Your husband with a watering can runs around watering the beds every day, and under my mulch the moisture remains for a long time. I pity my Petrovich.
5. After every rain, you run to loosen the beds, and I rest, admire the beauty.

Well, did I convince you? You have to love and pity yourself.

Fight or defense?

I don't have any pest problems now.
And if they do, I don't worry too much.

I have very little beetle on my potatoes now. But if it suddenly happens that it flies from neighbors, Petrovich takes a sprayer, dilutes phytoverm, he is a biological preparation, well, once a summer he will walk, he will cope with stray ones and that's it.

Here I have a neighbor here the other day came all upset. It turns out that pests ate almost all of her cabbage. When I saw mine, I was very surprised. After all, I have it clean, beautiful, nothing sick.

Left— neighbor cabbage,and on the right is my cabbage.

A neighbor says to me: “What are you spraying your cabbage with, why do you have leaves without holes? I didn’t water with anything, and I bought chemicals in the store, and sprinkled bleach to kill all these reptiles. ”

I told her: “Yes, I don’t splash anything. I grow food for myself and my grandchildren. Who are you growing it for? The neighbor thought.

My white-headed one is not sitting in a continuous field like hers, but surrounded by marigolds. A row of cabbage, and marigolds on both sides. And beautiful, and the smell of the pest repels.

And on the other bed between it sits celery, which has a very strong smell, and the pest does not find my cabbage. That's the whole secret - to outwit the pest.

mixed landings

It is known that insects find plants for food by smell. You can save plants if you confuse pests. Savior plants are aromatic herbs. They confuse pests with their strong smell and thus protect garden crops.

For example, nasturtium repels whiteflies, colorado potato beetle, cabbage caterpillars. Bitter wormwood - ants, codling moth etc. Peppermint - ants, whitefly. Aphids do not like the smell of aromatic herbs. Garlic repels cabbage fly larvae and codling moth.

Aromatic herbs for pest control are sown in rare patches in the beds. Best Solution- surround vegetable beds with fragrant herbs. And these herbs attract beneficial insects. And many of our vegetables are able to repel foreign pests. For example, it is useful to alternate rows of celery and cabbage, carrots and onions, strawberries and garlic.

AT mixed landings plants help each other grow.
But in order to make such plantings correctly, you need to know which plants will have a beneficial effect on each other.
We recommend reading about mixed plantings in the book
"Melange garden".

Know your friends by sight

Here you are, Alekseevna, fighting insects for the harvest, but you know that there are more
and beneficial insects? And nature is conceived in such a way that they destroy harmful insects. I hadn't thought about this before either.
And recently I heard a story.

The woman grew a plum, and then at the beginning of summer she notices that the aphid has twisted the leaves. I wanted to spray Fitoverm, but it was not at hand. After a while, she remembered her plum, went up to her, and instead of aphids, on the leaves, there were some black grains, as if someone had sucked out the aphids.

She examined the twigs carefully and saw strange insects. They were ladybug larvae. The ladybug and its larvae dealt with the aphids themselves.

It turns out there are a lot of beneficial insects. This and ladybug and its larvae, and the lacewing, and the ground beetle, and all sorts of riders, etc. And when you spray the plants with strong chemicals pests, then not only die harmful insects but also useful. And if harmful insects fly to your site very soon, and good ones still think about whether to help you.

And I realized that it is necessary to arrange everything in the garden-garden so that we have to interfere as little as possible, and the plants grow by themselves. And the insects will sort themselves out without us.

Healthy soil - healthy plants

I recently realized that only weak plants get sick.
And plants with strong immunity are not afraid of diseases.

A neighbor gave seedlings of peppers in the spring. Before planting, I added vermicompost to the wells, mulched, regularly watered with Radiance. The peppers have grown beautifully.

A neighbor from the same seedlings grew weak peppers, they were sick all summer. When she saw my fruits, she asked for seeds for next year. In order not to upset her, I did not say that my peppers grew from her seedlings. The secret turned out to be not in the variety, but in the fact that I created it good conditions and food. So they grew up strong and healthy.

I now have a short conversation with illnesses.
The main thing is to get ahead of them.

In gardeners, tomatoes suffer from late blight. But I don't. Phytophthora is a fungus that lives in the soil. Tomatoes begin to hurt in August. At that time high humidity and this fungus with air currents gets on the leaves and tomatoes. I know how to tame her. I do it like this:

1. I mulch tomatoes with grass.
2. Gradually cut off the lower leaves, so that the bushes are well ventilated.
3. I water and spray with Radiance-1. (suppresses the disease).

And my tomatoes are turning red on the bush.

And how are you, Alekseevna, with phytophthora? Are you sick of potatoes too?

I got along with her there. I start with prevention: before planting, I dip the tubers into the “Shine-2” solution (I call it “Shine compote”). In the summer, I mulch the beds and water them with Radiance-1. After harvesting potatoes, I sow green manure. That's all - goodbye phytophthora!

By the way, I also grow potatoes in stationary beds. Very comfortably. She arrived in the spring, and the bed is already ready, she loosened it with a flat cutter and you can plant.

When the beds are stationary, it is convenient to alternate crops. For example, this year cabbage grew in the garden, on next year already something else. I became more serious about crop rotation after I read one story.

The farm sowed the field with sunflower and got a very good harvest. To celebrate, the following year, sunflowers were sown there again. The harvest was worse, but no conclusions were drawn. And in the third year in the same field they sowed it again. The harvest was meagre.

Sunflower taken out of the soil for 3 years a large number of batteries and it is depleted. It accumulated phytopathogenic microflora, which caused an outbreak of diseases.

Good yields grow on healthy plants,
and healthy plants grow in healthy soil.

The first thing every gardener needs to do is restore and improve the soil. Green manure, mulching and beneficial microorganisms helped me to do this. Do you know that microorganisms are different?

We divide microorganisms conditionally into three groups:bad (they cause disease)good ones (everything is clear with them) andneutral . And then everything, like people. If the bad ones turned out to be a little more, then the neutral ones also become bad. And if there are more good ones, then neutral ones become good and ours win.

That's why I water the beds with beneficial microorganisms so that they themselves suppress diseases.

I use Radiance products. They helped me to restore the soil and now I am getting good harvests, well, you yourself saw it.

Radiance-1 I water and spray the plants.
Mulch rots faster, disease prevention,
soil is restored.

With Siyaniye-2, I am preparing "Siyanie compote" for planting potatoes.
I also prepare the soil for seedlings.

With Radiance-3, I compost and make warm beds.
Compost is ready in 2 months.

And I also use a bio-cocktail, I call it a “magic cocktail”. I use it when plants need help. And he always helps me out.

common potato

My neighbor is about 80 years old.
It seems old, but everything is swarming in the garden.

We have already planted our potatoes, as expected, germinated in advance. But there is a little left over. I put it aside and forgot about it. And then I found it by accident. Where is it now? I took it to a neighbor, maybe she will feed the cattle.

She planted herself. And somehow in the autumn he comes and says: “I dug up a potato, the size of a palm! Never had such a potato, what kind of variety do you have?
And I answer her: “The variety is ordinary, I always dig out this one. I have less than two acres for potatoes, and a crop of about 100 buckets. But she does not let up: “Your variety is very good. I have my small one grown, and yours is large.

And the secret is that I grow it according to natural agricultural technology, which means I have planting material healthy, strong. It is known that the potato ages over time, degenerates. And mine, it turns out, retains its strength. Once, even from the little thing that I had left, the granny, having planted it late, received such a crop. Let me tell you what I'm doing:

1. The potatoes were harvested, rye was immediately sown. She grew up, remained under the snow.

2. In the spring, Petrovich cut rye with a hoe. I poured it with radiance to rot faster.

3. After 2 weeks, they planted potatoes without digging the ground, adding compost to the hole.

4. In the summer, Petrovich laid the grass on the beds, and laid the excess on the path between the rows. The beds were watered with Radiance.

When they dug out, they noticed: on those beds where grass lay in the aisles, there were more potatoes and it was larger. Moisture under the grass is better preserved, and the potatoes receive more nutrition. And the most interesting, there was almost no beetle. The grass smelled like a potato.

Bushes grew strong, strong (the beetle is too tough for such leaves) and there were no phytophthora . And because of her, the neighbors had to dig up potatoes ahead of time.

On the left - neighbors' potatoes, on the right - ours.

A holy place is never empty

Rye, it turns out, is called green manure. In other words, green manure. Green because the grass is green. And fertilizer, because when the green manure rots, it feeds the earth better than manure and especially any chemistry.

These siderates are different. I told you about rye.
And there is mustard, phacelia, radish, buckwheat etc.

I now sow green manure from early spring to autumn. For example, a row of tomatoes, and mustard around the edges or a row of potatoes, and oilseed radish around the edges. A garden bed has been vacated - I sow green manure. After potatoes, you can sow rye or something else. The main thing is that the land is not empty, otherwise the weeds will begin to grow. Even in October I have green beds, it's nice to look at.

Here's how much useful siderats do:

Green manure enriches the soil
nitrogen, trace elements and organic matter;

Suppress the growth of weeds;

Protect plants from pests and diseases;

Their roots— loosen the soil improve its structure.

Previously, manure was brought by machines as fertilizer, suffered, spread throughout the site, and now I scatter green manure seeds, much easier, and more useful. There are no diseases, no weeds, and no pests.
And you're talking about extra work.

The green manure grew, I cut them off, put them on top of the bed, they rot, fertilize the bed. And the roots that remain in the ground rot and the earth becomes loose. That's all.

About what siderats are,
when and how to sow them, rotation schemes
in the book "Siderates - natural fertilizer"

Harvest

Well, the harvest is now a success! We gardeners have two concerns:
how to grow a large crop and how to process and preserve it.

That's what happened to me this year as well. So much has grown, but what to do with it? Now the grandchildren are reluctant to eat pickles and jams. This used to be a bunch of cans harvested. And now there is nothing in stores. And I want to feed my grandchildren with healthy sweets.

How to deal with the harvest?
Age no longer allows you to do a lot of blanks ...

My husband looked at my suffering, looked, and bought an electric dryer. Not a cheap thing, but how does it help me out.

Dryer Izidri - environmentally friendly drying of fruits, berries, vegetables, mushrooms.
VAKS - Vacuum canning and storage of products. Pump and 9 caps.

First dried apples . Grandchildren ate on both cheeks, did not have time to dry.

What else can be dried?

I have tomatoes a lot, but not everything is eaten. Sliced ​​into slices and dried. My Petrovich loves tomatoes. Can eat bowls. You don't have to cook food, put a basin in it... Now Petrovich eats dried tomatoes in my house in winter. I cook cabbage soup and borscht with them. They smell and taste like fresh ones.

BUT onion have you tried drying? Dried onions smell better. My grandson doesn't like onions. God forbid if he sees an onion in the soup, he won't eat it. I ground dried onions into powder on a coffee grinder and, when I fried potatoes, sprinkled them. Such an aroma throughout the apartment, it's something!

The grandson tasted the potatoes and said that he had never eaten better.
And I silently smiled.

Also dried garlic , ground, garlic powder turned out. You can buy it, but it costs money there, but I have my own.

More dill, parsley, celery , other herbs dry, mix, here is the finished seasoning.

Have you tried candied carrots and beets? They are tastier than candy, and healthier. This can be done in winter. The carrot is still in the cellar. So the dryer can all year round enjoy.

I store everything under vacuum covers. Air is pumped out of the cans, so the aroma is preserved in them, and insects do not start.

Pastila for grandchildren

Previously, I tried to dry it in the oven and dried it in the sun, but I did not succeed.

And then I made applesauce, dried marshmallows in a dryer and gave my grandson a try. And my grandson is very picky about food. He doesn't eat anything in the garden. And he liked the marshmallow so much that now he is ready to eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner. So I've been pastiling and drying all summer. The apples are out, but there are pumpkin and zucchini . Now I'm going to dry the pumpkin marshmallow with zucchini. And to make it tastier, I’ll add bananas, you can lemon, honey, nuts. Eating will work! And he won’t guess that marshmallow from zucchini.

My beautiful garden

How does your garden look like, Alekseevna? You go straight - a bed, you go to the left - a bed, and to the right - again a bed. And I have a place for beds and flower beds. I have as much land as you. The secret is elsewhere.

I have been applying natural farming methods for 7 years now. Thanks to this, I collect large crops. And now, instead of 2 beds of carrots, one is enough for me, and instead of 4 acres of potatoes, 2 acres are enough for me. And I plant tomatoes not 100 bushes, as before, but only 40. And I have freed up space for beauty.

I used to think, like you, that garden design
it's not for me, it's very difficult. But it turned out that everything is very simple.

Moreover, I know where to get good plants- in the center of natural agriculture. I bought German roses there last year. They bloomed in the summer - it was fabulously beautiful.

Already next year I chose from the catalogs and ordered roses from European nurseries, ornamental shrubs and much more.

Welcome to natural farming

We now grow everything on our site, using natural farming.

Here one friend taught me. She didn’t eat potatoes this year. It turns out that last year she dipped the tubers into some kind of chemistry before planting. So she still doesn't have a beetle. That's how she poisoned her potatoes! And she fed her children and grandchildren with it! Of course, I explained everything to her. And she decided that it would be better to collect the beetle than to feed the family with poisoned potatoes.

But many do not even think about the harm they cause to themselves and the earth, using pesticides and chemicals indiscriminately. mineral fertilizers. I care about what my children and grandchildren eat, so I am for natural farming.

You know it yourself, tell someone else.

Thanks to my son, he found it himself and suggested to us that there is such a center for Natural Agriculture. That's where I found out everything. They advise gardeners, hold interesting seminars, publish newspapers on natural farming.

I'll tell you this: whoever really loves the land, is interested in and experiments, sooner or later he himself thinks of the methods of natural farming. But that's a few years of experience.

And the centers of Natural Agriculture were created in order to generalize the experience of many people and convey to us. So that we can start quickly natural methods to use, and to grow crops that are healthy for health, and to make your work easy and interesting.

A good harvest is easy and simple!

Over 100,000 gardeners use natural farming methods
in Russia, Ukraine and Belarus. And here are the results!

Hello!

To begin with, I would like to introduce myself. My name is Alexander Ivanovich Kuznetsov. I represent a private nursery. But the nursery is unusual.

What is unusual? First of all, the fact that in the production of seedlings of fruit and berry crops we use elements of NATURAL AGRICULTURE.

And what is unusual here? many will ask.

And the unusual thing is that we use MUSHROOMS to grow plants. Yes, the most common mushrooms. And this mushroom mycotechnology allows to reduce the area used in the production of seedlings by 15 times. That is, on one square meter you can grow 50 seedlings of fruit crops, against 3-5 (according to the norm with conventional agricultural technology). And on three acres (300 m 2) 15,000 fruit seedlings can be grown.

N.I. Kurdyumov

BIOTECHNOLOGY OF NATURAL AGRICULTURE: ALTAI OPTION

essay-study

Alexander Ivanovich Kuznetsov - a resident of the village of Altaisky, the head of the MYKOBIOTECH fruit nursery, an innovator, a tester of varieties and natural agricultural technology, thoughtful microbiologist and agroecologist. For many years he has been growing fruits, berries and seedlings according to his unique agricultural technology. Conducts its selection, including rootstock forms, for winter hardiness and stability. He invented his own modular version of the closed ground - the film covers easily and quickly large area. Perhaps only Kuznetsov is seriously trying to use mycorrhizal fungi in amateur gardening ...

Updated (27.12.2011 19:20)

Natural Farming Farming can be INTENSE!

Agricultural techniques called "natural farming" often HAVE nothing to do with agriculture in general, but only with land use. Therefore, there is an opinion that natural farming can only be EXTENSIVE, that is, low-productive, like the process of farming in Nature itself. But is it? Do all supporters and opponents of natural farming know about the nature of plant nutrition, stating this explicitly and indirectly in their theories and public statements?

I argue the opposite, that natural-type farming techniques (called erroneously extensive), defined by the natural type of plant nutrition (4 main natural types in total), can be INTENSIVE and SUPERINTENSIVE. Dozens and hundreds of times superior to all known agricultural techniques chemical type(called erroneously intense). I will easily demonstrate this to you using an example of application different types natural nutrition of plants, agricultural techniques based on this understanding, and RESULT obtained in practice. And this real experience is a fact, NOT speculation!

Updated (10.02.2012 11:18)

NATURAL FARMING as a factor in plant immunity

It would seem that there could be something in common? What difference does it make where and how a plant grows, what does agriculture have to do with it, and even natural? Immunity, it is immunity. But let's remember what immunity is, and what causes it?

Updated (08.12.2011 22:50)

How to improve and reanimate the soil

We continue the conversation on the topic of NATURAL AGRICULTURE. Today I will tell you what to do if the soil of your garden or vegetable garden is dying or terminally ill.

sign
The signs of dying or overworking the soil, as you prefer, are: its dusty structureless state, the appearance of a crust after each rain or watering, crop failures. Symptoms of the disease, as we already know, are unpleasant odors rot and mildew. In such cases, urgent resuscitation of the soil and its treatment should be carried out. In this article, I will tell you how best to do it. It's the best, not the best. But again, this is my point of view, my vision.

Updated (08.12.2011 22:44)

BIOTECHNOLOGY OF NATURAL AGRICULTURE and its possibilities

Ancient wisdom says: "A fool grows plants, a smart one grows soil." This article is about "growing" soil, not just plants. And here it should immediately be explained very significant difference between the terms "agrotechnics" and "biotechnology of natural agriculture". AGRICULTURAL TECHNOLOGY is the science of growing plants, BIOTECHNOLOGY OF NATURAL AGRICULTURE is the process of creating soil or “growing” soil, which follows from the literal translation of these terms and their semantic content. Agrotechnics, in another way - "field farming" ( agros- field) or crop production, that is, the technology of growing plants. Let's specify, cultivation of PLANTS.

Updated (18.02.2012 10:30)

saprophytes-probiotics

This article is about how to restore health to the soil and plants, and through this - to restore health to yourself. Probably many have already heard that the new century is the century of PROBIOTICS, not ANTIBIOTICS, that is, substances and organisms that support life, not kill it (“antibiotic” in translation means “against life”). This is what I propose to talk about.

Updated (02/05/2012 01:50)

NATURAL FARMING. WHAT IS THIS?

There has been a lot of controversy around this issue lately. There are supporters and opponents of organic farming. But even among the supporters, some rely in their reasoning on concepts that are essentially false, and therefore their conclusions are far from reality. I offer readers my point of view, which is different from the generally accepted one, and even more so from the “classical” one.

Updated (11.03.2012 14:49)

PNATURAL AGRICULTURE- unifying concept

In my first article on NATURAL AGRICULTURE, I left the very definition of this concept at the mercy of readers, which gave rise to a lot of interpretations that are essentially correct, but still "narrow profile". By writing this article, I want to correct the mistake I made. I want to try to show readers that the concept of "NATURAL FARMING" is much broader than is commonly believed, reducing it only to the concept of "organic".

Updated (18.02.2012 10:36)

"Secrets" of getting high yields

I hope you will be interested in the topic: "Secrets" of obtaining high yields or the practice of using elements of BIOTECHNOLOGY OF NATURAL AGRICULTURE and natural plant physiology in obtaining high yields.

The topic is large, including several questions. It will not be possible to consider all possible questions and details in one article. Therefore, we will touch on only the most important ones, revealing the topic, and of great practical importance. And one more thing, this article is an attempt to combine all the previously expressed knowledge about natural farming with one goal that is interesting to every gardener: getting high yields.

Updated (12.02.2012 10:17)

« Secrets of Fertility

This article is a continuation of the conversation about BIOTECHNOLOGY OF NATURAL AGRICULTURE (more precisely, BIOTECHNOLOGY OF AGRICULTURE BY NATURAL TYPE, using fungi, microbes and earthworms). Why natural? Because all the natural (natural) processes in the technology used are greatly enhanced, and not simply copied from phenomena in nature. This achieves a significant increase in the productivity of cultivated plants.

Updated (11.03.2012 14:20)

P H O T O S I N T E S

andwhetherrevived tale of Koshchei the Immortal

This is just my point of view with far-reaching conclusions. Here I will not describe all the subtleties of this mysterious process - PHOTOSYNTHESIS, which determines life on our planet. I will only touch briefly for several reasons. And the main one is that this is the mystery of Nature - photosynthesis has not yet been fully studied. The amazing ability of plants - under the action of sunlight from inorganic substances to create organic - the basis of our biological life, remains under the seal of a secret. And I think - to our happiness, but more on that at the end.

Updated (25.12.2011 11:04)

Photosynthesis or leaf nutrition of plants

In a previous article on photosynthesis, “Photosynthesis or the Revived Tale of Koshchei the Immortal,” I suggested that the main nutrition of plants is CARBON. But he did not explain it in relation to the PHOTOSYNTHESIS process, although this is the same thing. The issue of carbon nutrition (photosynthesis) or, in other words, “leaf nutrition” and “leaf respiration” - in other words, gas exchange, is not the same thing. With this article I will try to explain my point of view on this issue, which is extremely alternative to the official one.

Updated (25.12.2011 11:06)

How to help your loved one, or how to make it work

in the gardenfrom hard physical labor turned into pleasure

This is not a joke - this is a reality available to everyone. But everything is in order. Three years ago, a very good friend of mine, upon meeting me, noticed how I was writhing with back pain, which he could not hide. I had to tell, although I really do not like to complain about anything, especially about my health. This is a closed topic. And here I brought this episode from my life because you better understand the drama of the situation. After all, we are all living people and we all have some kind of sores. But we will not talk about this, but about how to overcome our ailments. About amazing things that can work miracles, which we know little about until life shows us the way in the form of a chance meeting, such as I describe.

Updated (02/05/2012 17:17)

PETER CALDER. EYE OF REBIRTH

This happened several years ago. I was sitting on a park bench reading the evening paper. An elderly gentleman came up and sat down beside me. He appeared to be about seventy years old. Rare grey hair, sagging shoulders, a cane and a heavy shuffling gait. Who could have known that my whole life from that moment would change once and for all?

Updated (21.01.2012 13:58)

SOIL HUMUS AND ITS CREATORS

In this article I will talk about the creators of soil fertility, those who create a reserve nutrients in the soil, called humus, about microbes, fungi and earthworms. There are no other sources of humus in nature, except for the vital activity of the listed organisms - soil inhabitants.

Updated (08.01.2012 23:34)

MYCORRHIZA AND EEROLE IN PLANT NUTRITION

In previous articles in the NATURAL FARMING series, I told you about how to improve soil fertility, increase the content of nutrient reserves in the form of humus. This article is about how best to "feed" our garden and garden plants.

Updated (10.01.2012 15:17)

WATERIN PLANT LIFE

Water in plant life is a source of nutrition and performs vital functions that support metabolic processes. Here are some of them:

Performs a transport function for the "delivery" of nutrients to tissues and organs during root and leaf nutrition, metabolic processes and synthesis;

Updated (02/05/2012 03:17)

Practical application of water in plant shelter

This article is about how to use water not for watering plants, but as a technique for sheltering from adverse environmental factors when cultivating plants.

Water is the most powerful thermal storage material. It has the highest heat capacity and thermal conductivity. Compared to other substances, it is able to absorb much more heat without significantly heating up. Water acts as a temperature regulator, smoothing out sharp temperature fluctuations due to its high heat capacity. But in a frozen state (snow and ice) it has a very high thermal insulation. It is these properties of water that are proposed for consideration and practical application in various designs and devices.

Updated (19.01.2012 18:38)

From the experience of grafting with cuttings

Updated (08.01.2012 14:11)

Carbon Dioxide, Glucose and Carbon Life

At first glance, these concepts are completely unrelated. But this is only at first glance. Understanding them is extremely necessary in order to better understand all the ongoing processes in organic life, as well as to understand the metabolic processes in the study of NATURAL AGRICULTURE.

Updated (08.01.2012 14:42)

GREEN CUTTING

Summer is the time for green cuttings. Our experience of rooting in a nursery may be useful. We use in our practice the well-known, but undeserved forgotten way rooting green cuttings "under the jar". We consider it the simplest, most effective, requiring no special equipment, special care and time. In short, the very best ... Only instead of the usual glass jars we use the upper halves of one and a half liter polypropylene bottles cut across. It is possible and two-liter, even better if the cuttings are large.

Updated (24.12.2011 23:41)

Oexperience of cultivation of bell varieties in the conditions of the South Western Siberia

In the article brought to your attention, we will talk about the most highly productive groups of apple trees (annular varieties): columnar apple trees, compacts, natural stalks (“natural dwarfs”) and others grown according to BIOTECHNOLOGY OF NATURAL AGRICULTURE in the conditions of the South of Western Siberia (Altai Territory, Kemerovo and Novosibirsk region). This experience may be of interest to gardeners in the "northern zone" of gardening, with cold soils and short summers, not only from a cognitive point of view, but as an alternative opinion, as opposed to the established official one.

Updated (25.12.2011 11:30)

On the winter hardiness of the "paradise apple tree" and clonal rootstocks

This article will focus on clonal rootstocks. In all sources encountered: periodicals, special literature, articles on the Runet Network, it is said about the weak winter hardiness of clonal rootstocks. And that these rootstocks are unsuitable for a gardening zone with severe winters, although they are of great importance in "dwarf gardening", especially of an industrial type. But is it? Is everything known to scientists about this apple tree, about its winter hardiness? And does everything depend on scientists and their "authoritative" opinion in practical gardening? I propose to talk about it.

Updated (25.12.2011 11:43)

Fertilizers in Alternative and Biodynamic Agriculture

The purpose of this article is an attempt to comprehend the concept of "fertilizer" on the example of the analysis of the application (purpose of use) in all existing alternative agricultural technologies of agriculture (crop production). And also an attempt to show misconceptions about the use of fertilizers as a source of nutrition for plants, in essence, and not in form.

First, let's look at the concept of fertilizer, and then the essence of the use of fertilizers (organic) in alternative and biodynamic agriculture.

Updated (29.05.2013 11:36)

The practice of using the energies of the Cosmos and the Earth.

(reference material)

What are these energies mentioned by the founders and proponents of biodynamic farming and agriculture? In fact, there are a lot of omissions and misunderstandings on this issue. I do not pretend to be a know-it-all, I will simply try to tell you, dear reader, about what I myself know, and little is known to me. But even that little can shed light and dispel the veil of misunderstanding. And the thing is that the principles of information and energy significance geometric shapes and until now are not widely covered in the press, being an area of ​​secret knowledge, existing only in allusions to the attentive reader. But having mastered the dowsing method using a pendulum or a frame (as proof of the existence of energies), an inquisitive and sincere researcher will be able to discover, understand and apply a lot for good. I sincerely wish you this.

Updated (25.12.2011 12:36)

There is nowhere easier about the biotechnology of agriculture by natural type

In this article I will try in simple words and in a simple scheme to talk about the biotechnology of agriculture according to the natural dynamic type and try to answer numerous questions, such as: “How to put into practice everything that you, Alexander, talk about in your articles?”.

Everything is very simple. The basis of this technology is the use of organic mulch - as in nature. This is not necessary, and not manure at all. For mulch, any non-rotten and non-rotten organic matter is suitable. That is, not previously fermented. Fresh. This includes grass, leaves, chopped branches, needles, the remains of grain production, etc., even sawdust and paper. This is first moment.

Updated (26.12.2011 12:56)

Veselka ordinary and other mushrooms in the garden

This article is a continuation of the conversation about saprophyte fungi and symbionts to the topic BIOTECHNOLOGY OF NATURAL AGRICULTURE with the news of the season, facts, arguments, understanding and perspectives.
In previous articles, I have talked about their role in organic mulch humification and plant nutrition. During this season, new additional material on the topic has been accumulated, which I bring to your attention.

Updated (01/05/2012 20:57)

Why Veselkovye are useful for garden plants and gardener

This article is a continuation of the conversation about saprophyto-symbiont mushrooms, specifically, about Veselkovy mushrooms. About what these mushrooms can do for the garden in Mycobiotechnology of agriculture and crop production, what kind of nutrition plants can provide and through what. And how they can be useful for the gardener himself. Yes, new types of mushrooms of the Veselkovye order have appeared in our garden. Surprising but true. Or maybe just a pattern, because Mycobiotechnology is a copy natural harmony communities of plants and soil inhabitants. These are the questions for consideration.

Updated (14.01.2012 19:54)

Microbiological preparations in
BIOTECHNOLOGIES OF NATURAL AGRICULTURE

In this article, I bring to your attention the consideration of the issue of the use of microbiological preparations in the specific BIOTECHNOLOGY OF NATURAL AGRICULTURE proposed by us. A technology that scientists and names have not yet come up with, but biological products for this technology already exist. This means that the technology is real in practice, and not just in theory.
But what a paradox, instead of scientists and practitioners joining forces and developing a single technology for environmentally oriented farming, we, ordinary gardeners and farmers, have to face this problem of developing farming technology for small subsidiary plots and farms. In other words, the development of environmentally oriented farming technology for small farms is “the work of the small farms themselves”, as in the famous common expression: “saving the drowning is the work of the drowning themselves”.

Indoor Large Volume Modular Type

I bring to your attention the option of sheltering soil of a large volume of modular type. What it is? At the core protective structure a single specific size is used - a module that is repeated many times in all subsequent main structural elements. In this regard, it should be noted that there are different structural solutions for structures of closed ground: arched, domed, tunnel, etc. But a feature of such structures is the complexity of manufacturing and their big size, and, accordingly, high material costs and complex technical execution. I bring to your attention the simplest, most cost-effective, most easily manufactured at home, easy-to-maintain design; and most importantly, it allows you to close the soil of a large volume with a possible expansion in any direction, depending on the growing needs in the subsequent period of operation. In fact, it is a "dimensionless greenhouse", which has neither beginning nor end. At any time, you can increase its size without violating the previous design, only by adding new modular elements. That's why I called it: "Large-volume indoor soil of modular type."

Updated (15.01.2012 22:05)

Plant a tree for your children

Before I tell you how to do this, I will tell you a story from my life.

When my daughters were born, I had an irresistible desire to plant trees in honor of their birth. Why such a desire arose, I did not know then and did not imagine that for each person, according to the date of his birth, first among the Druids, and later in other religions, there is a certain tree. I began to think about which tree to choose, so that it personified my dreams of what I would like my daughters to be like when they grow up. What parent does not want his children to be beautiful, slender, strong, fertile - able to prolong the family.

Updated (21.01.2012 13:59)

Vladimir Shemshuk

MAGI

Magi and politics

The Magi are the least accessible topic for research and study. For millennia, it was the most mysterious and most destroyed part of the population. Now not a single sorcerer will ever confess his knowledge and will not live in a society that expelled his ancestors. It is no coincidence that in ancient times a sad and ironic remark was born: "he who knows is silent, the speaker does not know." It is difficult to study what is more developed than man, because mistakes are inevitable. Here is what Champollion, a well-known decipherer of Egyptian writing, wrote about the Egyptian magi: “They could rise into the air, walk on it, live under water, painlessly endure injuries, read in the past, predict the future, become invisible, die and resurrect, heal diseases, etc. etc."

Updated (21.01.2012 14:00)

The value of human energy in communicating with plants

It would seem that the mood - what is important here?
Modern the quantum physics determines that a person is much more complex than it has been assumed so far. Scientists have found that our thoughts are material; they build our worldview and define our lives. Bad mood, irritability, negative thoughts can even cause a disease of the human body. Changing the way you think is not an easy task, but it is necessary for your health and the health of the plants around you. Try to look at the world around you with kindness and attention, do not skimp on a smile and a kind word addressed to people, plants or wildlife.

Personal experience of an experienced gardener

How do most gardeners sow in the beds? Usually, “how everyone does it” and how convenient it is for the owner of the site. And it would be better to sow the way the plants need! This is the principle of organic farming - to do as in nature. It turns out it's much more efficient. Yields are getting higher and work is getting smaller! Doubt it's possible? Check it out in the new season!

Usually the process of planting (sowing) looks like this: digging the earth - leveling the surface of the beds - cutting grooves - sowing (laying) seeds in them - filling the grooves with earth from their side walls - watering.

As a result:

Too much effort is spent, since digging is a very laborious process;

Soil fertility is lost (its air-water permeability is violated, since the porous structure of the earth, created by channels and voids, formed in place of already decayed roots and worm passages, is destroyed;

Soil microorganisms perish, processing plant residues into food for plants;

The grooves cut for sowing have a variable depth, as a result of which the seeds also lie at different depths. This leads to their germination and oppression of weaker late shoots by early ones;

The rows of germinated seeds are tortuous. Because of this, the row width is different, and it is larger than that of a flat line. As a result, weeding is difficult. This is because it is impossible to cut straight narrow grooves (even with flat cutters), and also due to the displacement of seeds already in the ground when they are irrigated after planting;

Few gardeners know that plants grow better if the seeds (as in nature) lie on dense, naturally porous soil, and a loose, loose “blanket” (mulch) covers them from above. Then the best conditions for plant growth are provided, because in the dense underlying soil, due to the capillary effect, soil moisture is constantly supplied to the seeds (it is not in vain that the earth is compacted with rolls before sowing wheat); and from above (through the mulch) air constantly enters.

How to ensure the same conditions? You can repeat a theory a thousand times and not convince anyone. I will tell you about my experience, which I have been using for more than one year.

1. I don’t dig up the soil, but only loosen it by 5-7 cm with a Fokin flat cutter (without bending my back and with much less effort).

2. Combine this loosening of the soil with proactive weed control, as long as it is not “interfered” by the growing plants. it is known that with regular mowing (or mowing with a chopper), weeds degenerate; it is enough to mow them before planting 2-3 times, coming to the dacha once a week, so that the weeds become much smaller. At the same time, I spend no more than 10-15 minutes on such a “passage” of a ten-meter bed with a Fokin flat cutter.

3. I water the loosened bed ... before planting.

4. Then I push the grooves in wet soil with one or 2-3 slats, hammered together by crossbars. The distance between the slats is equal to the distance between the future rows of plants and slightly more than the length of the blade of a small flat cutter. This allows me in the future (before the grass) to loosen and weed the aisles with one movement of the flat cutter underground along the rows.

5. I spill the grooves with a solution of biopreparations "Siyania-2" or "Vostok EM-1" at a concentration of 1: 1000 (a tablespoon per 10 liters of water) - to restore the capillarity of the soil, increase its fertility and sanitize it from pathogens.

6. I sow the seeds into the grooves pressed through by the slats.

7. I fill them with compost - and ... I don’t water them!

At first glance, this technology takes longer. And you reread it. How much use is in this technique, and how much we did “at the same time”: weeds were cut down with a flat cutter, and the rows for sowing were compacted, and EM-beneficial microorganisms were launched into the soil ...

As a result, we get what we were striving for - the seeds lie “along the line” and at the same depth, on a hard, wet bed, covered on top with “loose” compost, in which there is also plenty of nutrition! And the fight against weeds is facilitated - they are exhausted in advance. And I suppress the rest, covering them in the aisles of grown plants with a layer of 5-7 cm mulch so that light does not pass through it. As mulch - chopped grass. In addition, the grass, while decomposing, feeds the plants + it is not necessary to water it often, since the evaporation of moisture decreases + it is not necessary to loosen the soil under the mulch (a crust does not form after rains and watering).

Conclusion: less work, and higher yields. What is required!

Watch nature

Finally, I want to remind you of the wise advice: “trust, but verify!” Adapt to the conditions of your site!

On my “sand” I water the bed before pushing the grooves, and on clay soil this technique can lead to clay sticking to the rail and uneven grooves. In this case, you need to be pre-moist, but not sticky.

Use any advice ”wisely”! And even better - learn from the "smartest" - from nature! Check with her, copy her - she is wiser than any adviser!

If you liked this material, then we offer you a selection of the best materials on our site according to our readers. You can find a selection - TOP about existing eco-settlements, family homesteads, their history of creation and everything about eco-houses where it is most convenient for you

Natural farming as a unifying concept.

Kuznetsov A.I.

Site Gardenia.ru, 2006
http://www.gardenia.ru/pages/pochva_008.htm

In my first article on natural farming, I left the very definition of this concept at the mercy of readers, which gave rise to a lot of interpretations - essentially correct, but still incomplete, "narrow profile". Now I want to correct this mistake and show that the concept of "Natural Farming" is much broader than it is commonly believed, reducing it only to the definition of "organic".
Natural farming is a unifying concept that includes all alternative systems of farming and agriculture - biodynamic, organic and its varieties, using humus preparations (humates), with the involvement of earthworms (vermiculture, or worm composting, i.e. obtaining biohumus using compost worms - California, "prospector", etc.), using green manure (growing plants for green manure), mulch (organic and inorganic), EM - biotechnology (using microbial preparations), as well as other methods that exclude the use mineral fertilizers and deep plowing of the earth.
In essence and in meaning, all these directions are true and useful, but each of them is only a part of one general and unifying concept of "Natural farming". The supporters of the listed directions do not want (or cannot?) understand and allow this, excelling in the terminology of processes taken in isolation from one common and whole - soil life, wisely arranged by Nature itself.
It is impossible for man to come up with something more perfect than that created by Nature itself. People at different stages of their development only study these processes of soil life in parts, building various "theories" on their guesses and discoveries. Due to his limitations, a person "goes in cycles", considering a separate "theory" the most important and indisputable and rejecting all others - not realizing that the "guess" and the "theory" built on its basis are only part of a single, indivisible process in Nature called " A life".
Therefore, everyone needs to look for a way to unite efforts in this direction, and not strive to divide-separate natural life into parts by approving separate "theories". The goal here is the same - to find such a unifying link that will bring all disparate theories and concepts together - as it is in Nature itself.. And this link can be an understanding of the processes and natural laws of soil life. Only a complete understanding of the general picture of soil life in interaction with the forces of nature (cosmic and terrestrial energies) can become a unifying factor for supporters of individual alternative areas of farming and agriculture.
I am not trying to take on such an unbearable burden - to describe in detail this "picture of life", but I will only try to determine the path that will lead to universal understanding and agreement.
And we will start moving along this path with the fact that only with some examples taken from individual theories, I will show you their inextricable connection both with each other and with soil life itself.
Let's look at the concept of "Biodynamic farming". Brief historical background: the ancestor of this philosophy in agriculture, which originated in Germany in 1924, is Rudolf Steiner. Biodynamic farming is an alternative direction, as opposed to mineral farming with its negative consequences. The essence of this theory is that:
- all living beings on the planet (including humans, animals, plants and soil microcosm) are exposed to cosmic and terrestrial energies;
- this process of impact on living organisms can be controlled by means of the proposed "preparations", which were assigned a certain numbering: 500-507 ... In addition, these preparations were divided into "field" and "compost"; all of them are used in such minimal amounts that they cannot serve as a source of substances for plants.
"Field" preparations are named because they act directly on plants and stimulate metabolism, and also "correct" adverse factors (drought, for example). Introduced in the smallest doses to the fields, they activate soil life, enhance the formation of humus, and as a result, improve plant nutrition.
"Compost" preparations are used to stimulate composting processes and direct them in the right direction (under their action, decay processes are excluded).
For clarity, we should remember what "biodynamic drugs" are and what they are made of. Field preparations - 500, 501.
Preparation 500 (another name is "horn manure"): cow horn is filled in autumn with fresh cow manure and buried in fertile soil to a depth of 60 cm and left there until spring. During the winter, the manure is exposed to the forces of the earth, which are especially active in winter. By spring, the manure turns into a well-decomposed dark mass with a pleasant smell of earth. Preparation 500 activates earthly forces (energies).
Preparation 501 - horny silica, activating cosmic energies.
Compost preparations are prepared from dynamic plants: yarrow flowers (preparation 502), chamomile flowers (503), nettle (504), oak bark (505), dandelion flowers (506), valerian flowers (507)...
Supporters of this theory reduce everything to the action of biodynamic preparations through the regulation and activation of earthly and cosmic forces (energies) in the direction necessary for the gardener and farmer. However, they argue that the effect of these drugs has no effect if mineral fertilizers are used. Instead of mineral fertilizers, organic matter in the form of composts should be used. And at the same time, some supporters of this theory deny the active role of the soil microworld in this process, focusing only on the energy of the process of activating plant nutrition (Michaela Glöckler). Others, on the contrary, believe that biodynamic preparations (both field and compost) activate the soil life of worms and microbes and, in fact, are biostimulants, not fertilizers and additives (I.S. Isaeva). Some supporters allow the partial use of fertilizers such as phosphate rock (M.N. Zhirmunskaya).
All this brings confusion into the heads of inexperienced gardeners, creates the impression of a "outrageous" science, which seems to be good, but incomprehensible and difficult to implement in practice. But this whole theory is nothing more than a part of Natural Farming. Someone may object to me: "Where did you meet biodynamic preparations in Nature? These are "man-made" preparations." Let me disagree with these arguments.
We forget about the natural forces of nature, manifested in Everyday life. For example, everyone knows the "stimulating" effect on seeds, rooted cuttings and the plants themselves of melt water (or, in other words, its energetically clean and active phase - the "cluster" state). "Holy" water has the same state, and its action is similar. Introduced in a minimum dose into a large volume, such water instantly turns ordinary water of this volume into "cluster", i.e. energetic state.
What about dynamic plants? After all, this is not only chamomile and valerian - there are many other examples of the energy effects of plants on humans, animals and other plants ... In addition, there are other drugs that have exactly the same stimulating and activating properties as classic biodynamic drugs. For example, the drug "Biostim", various decoctions, infusions and extracts of plants or compost liquid. But all of them are ineffective without the main factor - the use of organic composts, i.e. organic residues processed by worms, microbes and fungi into humus - the basis of natural plant nutrition.
Biodynamic preparations are just "stimulators" and "activators" of soil life, or soil microcosm. With the same success, you can activate the terrestrial and cosmic energy with the help of various combinations and structures of biodynamic structures: pyramids, hemispheres, orgone accumulators, etc. (The term "orgone" comes from the Latin word organismus - "living creature". The universal cosmic vital energy is called "orgone". There are various devices that can capture and accumulate orgone energy, including dynamic preparations, which can also be attributed to orgone accumulators ).
The effect of using these biodynamic structures is the same everywhere - activating plant growth and protecting them from diseases. There is only one basis, and the impact (direct or indirect) is carried out through the activation of the entire ecosystem, which includes the soil microcosm. Thus, biodynamic farming is just a part of Nature farming.
With other theories, things are even simpler.
Few would argue that organic farming is a component of natural farming. What could be simpler here: watch how organic remains (in the form of leaf or grass litter, or cow "cake") in the nature around us turn into part of the soil, into its nutrient component - humus.
Copy the same on your site - this will not only feed the plants and us, but also improve the soil and the very ecosystem in which we live with our plants.
What kind of "ready-made recipes" can there be that many people ask me about after reading my articles?
Natural farming is a creative process. It is important to understand and put into practice the essence of this process, and not to develop a "specific recipe". After all, all gardeners have different soils, climatic conditions- different, available sources of organic matter - different. And besides, the theories of supporters of organic farming are also different. How to understand all this diversity?
The answer is simple - be more attentive to yourself, to your plants, to the world around us. Indeed, in all these "theories" and methods, the essence is the same: ensuring favorable soil life as the basis of soil formation and plant nutrition due to the activity of the soil microworld that produces humus. After all, humus is the source of the most "smart" and balanced plant nutrition according to "natural technology".
Let's take it all in order.
Humus preparations(various humates). After all, this is nothing more than an "extract" from the soil or biocompost in a concentrated form. Do you have extra money to pay for humus in the form of "canned food"? Why such extravagance? Or do you for some reason do not want to create the conditions for the constant production of fresh humus directly on your plots? The use of humates is justified only for potted crops as a source of nutrition for plants isolated from nature.
Biocompost, earthworms and vermiculture. This is a biological compost obtained using earthworms - very expensive if bought ready-made and packaged. Despite the fact that this biocompost is very easy to get by yourself in the garden or at home at any time of the year - from those organic residues that are always available in any household. And at the same time, it is not at all necessary to specifically buy Californian worms or a "prospector" - simple varieties manure (compost) worms. It is enough to go to any nearest farm and collect the local population of these worms there if you want to use manure in the compost. Or collect litter worms in the forest (in the park), if other sources of organic matter are used for compost. These worms will "bring" useful microflora with them, which will help them "prepare" high-quality compost. But, at the same time, we must not forget that earthworms (meaning all annelids) are just a part of the soil microcosm in Natural Agriculture.
Siderates are various plants used for "green" fertilizer. They are grown either in compact plantings or in empty areas when the main crop is harvested. As green manure, you can use any culture; the plants are later trimmed and left in place as a green mulch. Thus, green manure is a kind of organic mulch grown on its site, and not brought to it from outside. Whoever likes this method, or there is no other way to replenish the site with organic matter, can successfully use it. But in this case, cut grass is an analogue of grass litter in nature - nothing more.
Mulch, or, in other words, - the soil cover can be of very different origin and composition; both organic and inorganic nature.
Let's start with inorganic mulch: these are various films, roofing felt, rubber, tarpaulin, etc. - everything that fully or partially retains moisture in the soil. This is its purpose: to retain moisture, prevent the soil from drying out, thereby creating comfortable conditions for soil inhabitants. Another role of such mulch is energy-saving: preventing the evaporation of moisture from the earth's surface, the mulch retains and accumulates the heat of solar energy and maintains the temperature regime of the soil. This is especially true (as an energy-saving factor) on northern cold soils. inorganic mulch- it's just a "home" for the soil inhabitants.
But organic mulch has more opportunities: it is both a home and food for the microcosm of the soil. And its second property: it covers the earth from the scorching rays of the sun, preventing overheating of the soil, which is especially important on warm southern soils. What happens to organic mulch and what it turns into in the process of digestion by worms, microbes and fungi - saprophytes, we have already considered in previous articles. It should only be added that organic mulch is only an element of Natural Farming, nothing more.
Microbes are another part of Natural Farming; here we mean bacteria and other transitional forms of the soil microcosm. The general term "microbes" (microorganisms) includes a huge group of tiny creatures that differ in structure, size and some functions: these are unicellular and multicellular organisms of plant and animal origin, as well as organisms that occupy an intermediate position between the plant and animal world. Microbes include bacteria (including mycoplasma rickettsiae), viruses, yeasts, actinomycetes, mold fungi, algae, and protozoa. But in the soil microcosm, not all of the listed forms are important as participants in soil formation and humus, but only a part of them. The remaining representatives of the microcosm are potential pathogens of plant diseases, which will be discussed in the next article.
On the basis of microbes, many biological products and even "technologies" have been created. A striking example is EM technology. This incomprehensible combination of letters "EM" fascinates and enchants many to complete worship as the only "panacea". And this phrase EM is simply deciphered - "effective microorganisms". Yes, these are the most common soil microbes taken from nature, which are bred in nutrient media in biofactories, packaged in vials and then sold for big money. And this is not a fertilizer at all, but a simple suspension of ordinary soil microbes used as a soil "sourdough" and nothing more.
What is it used for? Like any sourdough, to introduce a culture of microbes into the environment. For example, kefir - into milk, wine - into wort, baker's yeast - into dough, etc. And EM, in this case, is used as a "soil sourdough" for incorporation into the soil, that's all the wisdom. But manufacturers in every way "frighten" poor (in the direct and indirect sense) buyers - gardeners and gardeners - that without EM drugs, it's just nowhere, otherwise it's a disaster ... All this is a bluff and a direct deception of the layman. EM is just a part of the soil microcosm, like other biological products. Who has extra money and a desire to get microbes in a test tube as "soil starter" - please, I do not dissuade anyone from doing this. Moreover, I'm not saying it's bad. On the contrary, it is good, but it is very expensive, which is why it is little used by the population. But knowing that EOs and other biological products are just a part of the soil microcosm that creates fertility, we are aware that we also have completely free ways to use EOs. And they are presented to us by nature itself, and not invented by manufacturers of biological products to buy for money. It's worth remembering this.
Where to get effective microorganisms for the garden? We have already touched on this topic before: in nature itself. But when applying EOs (taken from a test tube or from nature), remember one thing: without necessary conditions they will not bring an increase in yield and will not increase the fertility of the soil - even fill in the solutions containing them with all the soil in the garden. They will not take root there if you do not create a house for them - mulch, and do not "feed" them with organic matter. Only in this case, living on your beds and in the garden, together with worms and mushrooms, they will create food for plants from organic matter and feed them to their full satisfaction according to the most advanced Natural technology.
In conclusion, I just want to add that natural farming is the "cradle" of all alternative theories and methods of agriculture and, at the same time, a unifying concept. Anyone who cannot or does not want to understand this is deeply mistaken.
For those who want to see their garden prosperous, and surrounding nature- healthy, I want to say: applying any of the listed alternative agricultural techniques as an element of "natural technology", you will inevitably come to the understanding that we ourselves are part of this nature. When someone tries to tear Nature apart, then, imperceptibly for himself, he creates the conditions for death from his ignorance. It's time for everyone to "wake up" and unite their efforts to learn farming from Nature together.
I wish everyone who read this article understanding. And I hope to see you among the supporters of Natural Farming.

Plants and man: the practice of using the energy of the Cosmos and the Earth
(reference material)

Reference:

Kuznetsov Alexander Ivanovich, microbiologist, p. Altai, Altai Territory.