Re: Re: insurance requirement

**"Ken Hargesheimer" m*@gmail.com**

If they will garden organic, no-till there is no hard physical labor and no
sharp tools and implements.  It seems that this is another reason to be
organic, no-till.

Ken Hargesheimer

When Soil is Plowed [or dug]

*Dr. Elaine Ingham, describes an undisturbed grasslandwhere a wide
diversity of plants grow, their roots mingling with a wide diversity of soil
organismsand how it changes when it is plowed.***

A typical teaspoon of native grassland soil contains between 600 million and
800 million individual bacteria that are members of perhaps 10,000 species.
 Several miles of fungi are in that teaspoon of soil, as well as 10,000
individual protozoa.  There are 20 to 30 beneficial nematodes from as many
as 100 species. Root-feeding nematodes are quite scarce in truly healthy
soils.  They are present, but in numbers so low that it is rare to find
them.

After only one plowing, a few species of bacteria and fungi disappear
because the food they need is no longer put back in the system.  But for the
most part, all the suppressive organisms, all the nutrient cyclers, all the
decomposers, all the soil organisms that rebuild good soil structure are
still present and trying to do their jobs.

Why doesn't the reduced food supply have a greater effect?  A good savings
account of organic matter has been built up in native grassland and native
forest soil.  The soil organisms use the organic matter they "put away" all
those years when disturbance did not occur.

*But agricultural tillage continues to deplete soil organic matter and kill
fungi*. The larger predators are crushed, their homes destroyed.  The
bacteria go through a bloom and blow off huge amounts of that
savings-account organic matter.  With continued tillage, the "policemen"
(organisms) that compete with and inhibit disease are lost.  The
"architects" that build soil aggregates are lost.  So are the
"engineers"the larger organisms that design and form the larger pores in
soil.  The predators that keep bacteria, fungi, and root-feeding organisms
in check are lost.  Disease suppression declines, soil structure erodes, and
water infiltration decreases because mineral crusts form.  BioCycle,
December 1998.  From ATTRA News, July 06)

If this does convince gardeners and farmers TO STOP DIGGING AND
PLOWING, nothing will.

Ken Hargesheimer

On 7/20/06, ROBERT HARTMAN <rhartman2003@msn.com> wrote:
>
> Gardening is physical labor and includes the use of sharp tools and
> implements. There is also heavy lifting and the use of toxic chemicals
> (unless you're organic). Landowners are ultimately liable if an accident
> occurs on their property.
>
> It is understandable that an insitutional owner (or any owner for that
> matter) might not want to assume the risk. Some charge a nominal rent and
> use the proceedds to pay for additional insurance. If it's a hospital and
> they've already spent capital funds to install the raised beds, they're
> probably in a better position to raise money for an insurance fund for the
> garden than the gardeners. However, the hospital staff might not have
> time.
>
> Keep talking to them. If the gardeners are willing to help with the
> fundraising, there's an opportunity for good press for the hospital. But
> don't make it just about insurance. Say that the beds are in, the
> gardeners
> are ready, but now more funds are needed for tools, seed, insurance, etc..
> Someone will step up.
>
> Good luck!
>
> Robert Hartman
>
> rhartman2003@msn.com
>
> "From all parts of Her body shall shine radiant intelligence. ... she
> shall
> dance the freedom of woman." --Isadora Duncan
>
>
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