Bailey Van Tassel

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hands in soil
22 Feb 2023
Gardening

Soil Amendments & Soil Health Basics

If you were a friend coming over for a cuppa Earl Grey one afternoon to chat gardening and asked for my input, here is what I’d say in regard to soil health. I’ll not bore you with all the science because we don’t have time for that. I want you to rush home and get started. So, here we go.

The health of any soil comes down to a few factors, primarily beginning with the type of soil that you personally have. 

There are three basic types of soil: 

  1. Sandy soil slips through your fingers and has a hard time retaining water and nutrients. 
  2. Clay soil is hard and sticky and has a hard time draining water. 
  3. Loamy soil is soft yet sticks together loosely and can hold and release water well. 

If you don’t have loamy soil, that is the goal. Loamy soil with good nutrients, a lot of microorganisms,  and a lot of worms living in there. 

The pH of your soil matters as well as some plants like more acidic soil, and some more alkaline or neutral. If you’re going to err, err on the side of acidic. However, testing for pH can be helpful if you think your soil is overall “good” but plants are struggling. 

Honestly, I’ve never tested any soil – I just amend my soil base (we have clay) and go from there. 

Soil Amendments

For almost ANY soil situation there are three basic amendments (these are things you add in) that I know will enhance the situation – even a beautiful loamy soil bed can benefit. 

  1. Compost 
  2. Worm castings
  3. Kelp meal 

These three things are what I add to the top of my raised beds each season. Compost is nutrient dense and lacks byproducts like wood. It balances out the soil and adds in great microorganisms. Worm castings are worm poop, full of great nutrition, and help with water retention and aeration. Kelp meal is great because it’s just dried seaweed and has the nutrients that are sought after for plants: nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium. It has over 70 vitamins and minerals and we love that!

I add about 3-4” of compost, a bag of worm castings, and a big scoop of kelp meal. 

From time to time I’ve used liquid fish emulsion or seaweed to “fertilize” beds, but make sure it’s organic and from clean byproducts. This adds great nutrients as well. Be sure to apply anything like this to the soil (not the leaves of plants) at dusk or later, so as not to burn plants. 

If you’re lacking worm activity, add worms, You can literally buy them on Amazon HERE. Worms are a key sign that good things are happening.

Tilling

I do not till my garden beds. I want the good microorganisms to stay intact. I want worms to stay hidden in the dark and I want tiny root systems to stay and feed the soil web. I do sometimes pull full plants out of beds, but also cut some just below the soil’s surface. The health of the plant will determine it. I don’t want pests or fungus to stick around, so always pull up plants that aren’t healthy. 

Another way to keep your soil healthy is to avoid synthetic fertilizers and to use natural remedies instead. Thingks live chive spray to prevent mildew and comfrey fertilizer to add some nitrogen and potassium. 

Healthy soil produces healthy and adaptable plants – and it’s often trial and error. I’ve used depleted bagged soil that’s full of wood chips (which sucks up nitrogen) and had gardens fail, then add these amendments and see it bounce back. 

Water Retention

The last note is about water. You don’t want your garden beds to hold too much water, or to leech it. If there’s a water retention issue there are two methods for rectifying it: mulch on the top of beds or coconut coir added in. Peat moss used to be used for this, and is added to bagged soil often, but is a non-renewable resource so we avoid it. Coir has taken its place. You can buy blocks of coir to add to beds and that is very helpful for mixing into soil that is too sandy or lacks density.

To keep a garden is to be learning always. I recommend you just jump in and get started, learning as you go. A good gut instinct is better than a thousand pieces of advice. 

TAGS:compostorganic gardeningraised bed gardensoilsoil amendmentssoil healthworm castings
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Hi I’m Bailey

Hi I’m Bailey

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This podcast interview with @boochcraft CEO, Todd Kent, was epic! They’re truly setting the standard for sustainability and organic beverages, in the face of a lot of greenwashing. 

You MUST listen to this. 

Linked in bio and wherever you listen to podcasts🎙️. 

Big thanks to my friends over at @eartheasy for partnering on this episode. They’re another incredible company doing great things for humanity and the planet.
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This podcast interview with @boochcraft CEO, Todd Kent, was epic! They’re truly setting the standard for sustainability and organic beverages, in the face of a lot of greenwashing.

You MUST listen to this.

Linked in bio and wherever you listen to podcasts🎙️.

Big thanks to my friends over at @eartheasy for partnering on this episode. They’re another incredible company doing great things for humanity and the planet.

17 hours ago
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What’s holding you back? We have more doubt in ourselves than in any teachers. But people actually *do* change - we can create micro habits that turn into major moves. Or even take giant leaps of faith that reconfigure our lives. 

I’ve done it. I’ve made the big moves and taken the chances and acted on instinct. 

Because my hope was greater than my fear. What I wanted for my future outweighed the discomfort in being in the middle. In the cocoon. 

So, what does your butterfly moment look like, and what’s keep you from allowing the transformation? 

Snag a seat in my live training, Do It Down To Earth. It’s a masterclass in building an authentic brand that will monetize on Instagram and beyond. 

Link in bio. DM me with questions. Take the leap. I’ve got you!
•
Follow

What’s holding you back? We have more doubt in ourselves than in any teachers. But people actually *do* change – we can create micro habits that turn into major moves. Or even take giant leaps of faith that reconfigure our lives.

I’ve done it. I’ve made the big moves and taken the chances and acted on instinct.

Because my hope was greater than my fear. What I wanted for my future outweighed the discomfort in being in the middle. In the cocoon.

So, what does your butterfly moment look like, and what’s keep you from allowing the transformation?

Snag a seat in my live training, Do It Down To Earth. It’s a masterclass in building an authentic brand that will monetize on Instagram and beyond.

Link in bio. DM me with questions. Take the leap. I’ve got you!

23 hours ago
View on Instagram |
2/4
👋🏼HERE is what I did:
I picked a niche that I was passionate about and could talk about everyday. It was something I had an abundance of information and experience on. 

I showed up authentically, and purposefully to inspire and educate. To relate to others. To be social. I had a plan based on years in the marketing and brand-building hotel business. 

At 3,500 followers my first brand deal came in. They specifically wanted to work with a mother and organic gardener. Jackpot! After that, I made a media kit and then starting pitching brands. They kept saying yes. 

I invested in a retreat to learn how to take my brand to the next level, and then was invited to be a coach at the next retreat. And then another and another, all teaching women to build an online brand. 

It 8x’d my income the first year. And then life happened: a global pandemic, a move, a late term pregnancy loss, sick kids, etc. BUT GUESS WHAT? 

It didn’t really matter. I could dial my business up or down. 

So I started incorporating other business components:
🌸A membership/subscription 
🌸Merch collaborations 
🌸Modeling for brands 
🌸My own digital Products 
🌸Workshops 
🌸online seminars/masterclasses. 

What I did was build a BRAND. Not just an income stream. 

A brand is flexible and resilient and can be multifaceted. A brand tells a story. A brand is built to last. 

This year, thanks to my brand, my biggest dream since childhood is coming true. 🤫 I haven’t shared it yet, so you’ll have to be patient to find out! 

This all happened off a brand I built authentically for four years. 

So, if this is your dream too, I got you. 

I wanted to quit my 9-5, and did. 
I wanted to be home with my kids, and did. 
I wanted to contribute to our income (ahem, Orange County, CA is the most expensive, and I did. 
I wanted to stay ME, and I have. 

So once a year I pull back the curtain and share EVERYTHING so that you can do this too. 
I have a starter download for you right now to get going and then my starts in October!!! 

Comment PATH and I’ll send you a 6 Tips for Starting TODAY! 

Send this post any of your friends starting a business or ready to monetize their efforts here on IG.
•
Follow

👋🏼HERE is what I did:
I picked a niche that I was passionate about and could talk about everyday. It was something I had an abundance of information and experience on.

I showed up authentically, and purposefully to inspire and educate. To relate to others. To be social. I had a plan based on years in the marketing and brand-building hotel business.

At 3,500 followers my first brand deal came in. They specifically wanted to work with a mother and organic gardener. Jackpot! After that, I made a media kit and then starting pitching brands. They kept saying yes.

I invested in a retreat to learn how to take my brand to the next level, and then was invited to be a coach at the next retreat. And then another and another, all teaching women to build an online brand.

It 8x’d my income the first year. And then life happened: a global pandemic, a move, a late term pregnancy loss, sick kids, etc. BUT GUESS WHAT?

It didn’t really matter. I could dial my business up or down.

So I started incorporating other business components:
🌸A membership/subscription
🌸Merch collaborations
🌸Modeling for brands
🌸My own digital Products
🌸Workshops
🌸online seminars/masterclasses.

What I did was build a BRAND. Not just an income stream.

A brand is flexible and resilient and can be multifaceted. A brand tells a story. A brand is built to last.

This year, thanks to my brand, my biggest dream since childhood is coming true. 🤫 I haven’t shared it yet, so you’ll have to be patient to find out!

This all happened off a brand I built authentically for four years.

So, if this is your dream too, I got you.

I wanted to quit my 9-5, and did.
I wanted to be home with my kids, and did.
I wanted to contribute to our income (ahem, Orange County, CA is the most expensive, and I did.
I wanted to stay ME, and I have.

So once a year I pull back the curtain and share EVERYTHING so that you can do this too.
I have a starter download for you right now to get going and then my class starts in October!!!

Comment PATH and I’ll send you a 6 Tips for Starting TODAY!

Send this post any of your friends starting a business or ready to monetize their efforts here on IG.

2 days ago
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3/4
When mom goes down, she has to actually stay up. So here’s something that is so good for clearing and breaking up funk in your chest. 

A tulsi and thyme steam. 

Just heat water and herbs in a pot to a good simmer (boiling could get too hot), then release the steam while you place your fave over it, and under a towel (to keep it in). Breath it in as long as feels good. Usually a couple of minutes while the steam lasts for me. 

Watch it smooth your body and calm your soul. 

Tulsi: anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and has antioxidants. Also smells heavenly. 

Thyme: has natural expectorant properties that are also soothing. 

Also: be smart & don’t burn yourself or your children with hot steam. 

#herbalism #growyourown #crunchymama #naturalwellness
•
Follow

When mom goes down, she has to actually stay up. So here’s something that is so good for clearing and breaking up funk in your chest.

A tulsi and thyme steam.

Just heat water and herbs in a pot to a good simmer (boiling could get too hot), then release the steam while you place your fave over it, and under a towel (to keep it in). Breath it in as long as feels good. Usually a couple of minutes while the steam lasts for me.

Watch it smooth your body and calm your soul.

Tulsi: anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and has antioxidants. Also smells heavenly.

Thyme: has natural expectorant properties that are also soothing.

Also: be smart & don’t burn yourself or your children with hot steam.

#herbalism #growyourown #crunchymama #naturalwellness

4 days ago
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4/4

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