Second Source

From reading my second source, Plant Life, I have picked some interesting observations. The authors compares raising a garden to raising children, and that is why most good gardeners are women. This quality includes, "an ability to observe closely, think for yourself, and learn from your mistakes."
The first step to being a successful gardener is to "respect the power of nature, and to try to understand the finely tuned balancing act that most plants perform in order to stay alive." This sentence made me think about what I am doing for my seeds, that i planted yesterday. I went to Home Depot and bought my supplies. I had some help from a clerk named Chris that couldn't exactly tell me the difference between around 10 different soils, but he said that customers who bought the same soil i did had success. He also recommended an all-purpose fertilizer that had a balance of all the nutrients. Thus, I hope that I am serving my seeds properly. The pots that my seeds are planted in are a medium size, but are pretty deep, that way the plants have root room to grow. I water them twice a day and give them adequate sunlight and wind because of it's location in my previous blog post. The weather has been quite good lately, and so I'm sure they are doing well. This adequate room for growing will continue the natural cycle of growth and the nitrogen will return to the soil that provides the crop.
This book also talks about chemicals, and how they cause erosion in the Earth, and how it ruins the environment. This is another reason why I chose this project. If I am able to grow some of the things we buy in the store, then I can be sure that what I am eating is truly "organic" or natural. The fertilizer I am using is minimal, just a little at the top. However, I am not quite sure whether or not I actually need to use fertilizer. Maybe I will leave one of my pots without fertilizer for the remainder of my project, and see how it does...
A plus for this project, is that because I bought my soil, I know exactly whats in it, and what type of soil it is. I have classified it as Loam soil, which is "a good combination of organic matter with the basic mineral particles, whether sand, silt, or clay. It is achieved by generous and regular applications of composted materials." This is what all gardeners aim for. It is good to know what is in my soil, and to know that it is a good mix because I know my plants are getting what they need. They depend on soil for moisture, stability, and nutrients. I also know that the soil isn't too acidic.

One of the most important parts that I have read in this book is about the Natural Cycle. The authors state that many gardeners feel that they need to help the cycle by adding more chemicals and nutrients when really, plants have their own system, and gardeners could really be killing their plants instead. What they don't understand is that decay IS a part of the cycle. Most plants' nutrients find their way back during decay. This is the cycle:
1. Dying plant remains on the surface of the soil.
2. Worms dragging material into the soil.
3. Micro-organisms breaking down chemicals.
4. Plant root hairs absorbing nutrients.
5. Healthy plant growth.

Thus, only add nutrients where the soil is naturally poor. The nutrients that plants need are nitrogen, phosphate, and potash. This is what botanists have claimed NPK, like in the Omnivore's Dilemma. Nitrogen is to get leaf vegetables to grow faster and the leafs to grow bigger. Phosphate and potash help produce flowers and fruit.
What I did not realize prior to this project is that gardening involves a lot of Chemistry and the many elements. Mulch helps with weed control.