Vegetables, trees, and Perennials Grown From Seed

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 Have  you ever wondered why that big potted plant that you bought at the  store never thrived in your garden? Were you curious as to why, when you  finally dug up that dead plant, its roots were still in the original  shape of the plastic pot? 

The answer to these questions is that the  poor plant was suffering from a condition known as “rootbound,” brought  about by too much time spent having its roots constricted in a plant  pot. Rootbound plants are a common occurrence, and one of the many  reasons that we constantly remind customers that the size of a  transplant doesn’t matter – it’s how healthy the roots are! 

One  of the many reasons that we turned to soil blocking as our method of  plant propagation was because it is such a fantastic way of ensuring  healthy plants. Soil blocking utilizes a process known as “air pruning,”  which promotes a healthier root system than putting plants in a pot.   In a soil block, air pruning occurs when the plant roots hit the  outside air of the soil block edges and are effectively “burned” off,  causing the plant to consistently produce new branching roots (thereby  creating a very healthy root system). 

In  a traditional plastic pot, the plant roots are constricted and have  nowhere to go, heading down to the bottom of the pot and swirling around  indefinitely. This creates an unhealthy condition known as being  “rootbound,” which can not only stunt a plant but also potentially kill  it. After being put in the ground, a rootbound plant can continue to be  stunted, unable to overcome its constricted root system, or take much  longer to establish than a healthier air pruned plant. This is one of  the many reasons we prefer to utilize soil blocking. The plants we offer  for sale as well as the ones we grow on the farm are happier,  healthier, and far more productive as a result!

Everyone knows that homemade is best, and that is as true for compost as it is for cooking. As part of the regenerative model of agriculture, we strive to create our own compost using outputs already available to us on the farm: manure from our donkeys, llama, and poultry, as well as old hay from our fields, and vegetable and plant matter from our greenhouses. Our soil blocked plant starts thrive in this rich growing medium, and we utilize every bit of compost that we produce each year. 

To help ensure that we will always have a ready supply of finished compost when we need it, we have built several Johnson-Su Composting Bioreactors. 

These bioreactors are much easier on the land, because instead of tearing up the soil with the tractor in order to routinely turn the compost pile, we simply load these bioreactors by hand, step back, and allow them to do their work over the course of a year.

It’s easier on the land and better for the farm, and that is the sort of positive outcome that we support here at Blue Ridge Farm.