Healthy soil

Many people, when they look at nature, see a variety of plants and animals living above ground, but think of everything below ground as lifeless. This is far from true. Every shovel full of earth contains millions of microbes. If the good microbes far outnumber the bad microbes, healthy, soil nurtures the plants that grow in it, and the animals that consume the plants.

Pesticides, herbicides, artificial fertilizers and soil compaction all damage the living soil, causing a wasteland below the surface of the earth, even allowing pathogens to multiply. Adding a high-quality compost can renew the soil, making it fertile and better able to withstand drought.

We sell thermal aerobic compost, made by heating organic matter in piles that we turn and aerate constantly. Our methods encourage beneficial microbes in the mix, and discourage pathogens. Our facility is in Santa Fe County.

Our compost improves soil structure and porosity, while increasing permeability. It takes us about three months to make a batch. We sell two grades, both made with lots of careful attention and patience.

Three star: made in windrows from leaves, grass clippings, beer mash, wood chips, fruit pomace, hay and horse manure. We harvest the green material from our croplands that are never treated with herbicides or pesticides. This is suitable for renewing landscaping, adding to vegetable and flower gardens. $50 per cubic yard.

Five star: made in small batches that we turn by hand. The contents include beer mash, leaves, grass clippings, hay, wood chips, fruit pomace, and coffee grounds. The green material comes from a farm where pesticides and herbicides are not used on the crops. This is suitable for adding to your own compost pile as a starter, or making compost tea (we can tell you how!) $7 per pound.

soil health | soil life