As soil scientists ourselves, we’ve compiled a complete guide to the preparation of your soil (Henceforth known as soil-based growing media), specifically tailored for container growing, something that no other company can match!
As the proud owner of an Ergrownomics planter, you’ll have unlimited access to this resource, allowing you to produce a growing media that’s capable of meeting your crops’ needs – without just wasting money on expensive composts!
Amongst other things, you’ll learn how to promote aeration and drainage, reduce compaction, maintain soil fertility, and prepare and support a healthy soil biota.
Depending on your soil type, you can learn to manipulate soil texture (sandy, clay, loamy etc.) through the addition of quality assured composts and manures, as well as the minerals vermiculite and perlite. These can be used to produce a growing media that provides the optimum balance between water storage and efficient drainage, keeping a steady level between too-wet and too-dry.
The same applies to soil pH. Most salads, vegetables, herbs and soft fruits perform best in soils which range from neutral to very slightly acidic. We’ll show you how to adjust (and maintain) a pH in this range.
What’s more, if you’re feeling ambitious, our planter can provide the opportunity to create conditions tailored to crops with very specific needs. We’ve experimented with several of these to find the limits of what’s possible, and we’re still researching as we go! As a result, we can provide guidance on how to maintain the soil moisture conditions appropriate for fresh watercress, and even to achieve the correct combination of alkalinity and salinity to grow Marsh samphire, regardless of how close you live to the sea!
As professional soil scientists by trade, we question the value of the home soil testing kits and recording devices. We believe in doing things properly, and therefore can provide Ergrownomics members with the details of soil testing laboratories, providing reliable information on the properties of your soils. Upon request, we’ll also suggest the most suitable package of analysis, and to help you best understand the results, we’ll give you a simple ‘traffic light’ sheet for interpreting them (as well as suggesting how to rectify any issues that arise!)
Growing in containers and compact raised beds places a huge amount of strain on your soil, so in order to meet the high demands of successional planting, it’s necessary to actively maintain your nutrient supply. This can be a finely tuned thing, with an excess of one nutrient often causing the depletion of another - for instance, an excess of nitrogen from fertilisers will deplete the potassium levels in your crops!
With other raised planters, this nutrient-depleted soil would inevitably be discarded each season, so to prevent this, we’ve developed a simple process to rejuvenate your soils as part of an ongoing methodology. This largely relies on a system of home-made composts, and the rotational planting of peas and beans to maintain ideal nitrogen concentrations. These are tried-and-tested traditional methods, but for some reason have fallen into neglect! To help you manage your soils properly, we’ve produced easy to follow guides, even showing you how and when we empty our compost bin (and how to work with it effectively); however, if you’d rather keep your hands (slightly) cleaner, then we’ve also recommended some of the composts and manures that we’ve found particularly effective in our Buyers Guide.
Finally, whilst we did not deliberately set off along an organic route in the development of our growing medium, the trials we have conducted indicate that it’s the best of many approaches! If you’d like to do likewise and avoid the use of chemicals, then information about our liquid-feeds and natural pest remedies are also available. To help with this, you’ll also find a catalogue of ‘Heritage’ varieties in our Crop Selector that are a little less demanding in their nutrient requirements, and that are particularly respondent to this method, having been bred before the agricultural revolution! Growing organic makes economic sense, and helps make our carbon footprint just that that little bit smaller.
In conclusion then, whether you’re a seasoned gardener, or an absolute beginner, our guidance on Growing Media will ensure the best possible results, wherever you choose to grow.
Try an Ergrownomic planter today, and receive a lifetime of unlimited access at no additional cost.