We lease 8 acres of land in Kalaheo. Before our lease started, the soil had been dormant for 40 years, mulching and doing all that cool stuff that soil does when left alone. To preserve as much of that cool stuff (top soil, earthworms, bacteria) as possible, we built on top of the soil, using a method called no-till farming. No-till farming is pretty straightforward-you don’t till. Tilling, although it makes the ground look really crumbly, pretty much chops up everything that was living or planning on living in the ground before the tiller arrived-which matters because those living things make for really good soil, and really good soil makes for really healthy plants.
We start with a thick weed mat of newspaper and build on top of that with layers of grass clippings, compost and dirt. The resulting beds are rich in vermiculture and lighter on weeds (fewer weeds are good for the plants and for farmer’s backs). The paper and leaves and grass start to decompose. Basically, nature takes it from there and we start planting seeds and watching them grow.
Remember school science projects? My brother once entered one based on the theory that plants listening to different types of music would grow at different rates. Accordingly, he had a plant that listened to classical, one to pop (Howard Jones, if I remember correctly) and one that got nothing but Guns n’ Roses, which although sounds plant-ish, isn’t. Unfortunately, he waited until the day before the experiment was due to begin it. He spent the entire evening willing a certain plant to thrive and another to die; he then spent the entire night writing a report on his “scientific” findings. In the end, I think he ended up with not much more than a bad headache and a worse grade. However, I have actually read in reputable sources (sorry, bro) that plants actually are affected by their surroundings in ways other than the obvious basic needs of water, light, etc., and that they do actually respond in visible ways to changes in those surroundings. If you need anecdotal evidence, find someone who is really into houseplants and ask them if they talk to their plant life. Then ask them if it makes a difference. I’ve yet to find one that doesn’t swear by it. Oodles of plant-talking caretakers can’t be wrong.
Are you still with me? If it indeed matters, we’ve got your produce covered. We are a family operation, which means that our kids are very much a part of what goes on at the farm. Although they don’t work on the farm, they take the job of playing very seriously. There is a tree fort and a hideout and plans for a skateboarding half pipe underway. And although there isn’t music per se, there are plenty of birds, occasional roosters and lots and lots of laughter. Also, the entire view from the land is of the Pacific, which looks pretty amazing with a rainbow over it, causing it’s own excitement for our family. Does all this make a difference in the food we grow? Who knows. We haven’t as yet joined the oodles of plant-talkers (although we have been known to talk to ourselves while planting), and no one is currently collecting scientific data to find out. We’re just trying to grow the best organic produce we can, and having fun doing it. The rest is up to the plants.