Organic, beneficial fertilizers/plant material that I can grow

For next year's outdoor crop I'd like to have more beneficial things to put into my plants, things that are relatively easy to grow, that can either be harvested when ready to use, or harvested, processed somehow and preserved to be used as fertilizer later. If I were to set aside .25/acre, what should I grow besides alfalfa, comfrey and hay (for mulch)?

cherokee420 said:

For next year's outdoor crop I'd like to have more beneficial things to put into my plants, things that are relatively easy to grow, that can either be harvested when ready to use, or harvested, processed somehow and preserved to be used as fertilizer later. If I were to set aside .25/acre, what should I grow besides alfalfa, comfrey and hay (for mulch)?

Click to expand...

look into cover crops for where you plan to plant. peas will give nitrogen back to the soil.

I like your style. I grew some barley this year, and clover as a cover crop. The barley seeds can be dried and used to make seed sprout tea which gives plants an amazing boost of vitality. Basically just soak the barley seeds over night, drain the water, let them sit covered by a wet cloth until they sprout. Then grind them up in the blender and feed them right away.

Growing clover, barley, comfrey, and alfalfa would give your plants am amazing variety of growth hormones, NPK, and enzymes. I'm not so sure about minerals. I would still add lots of rock dust to your soil.

Grew in geo pots this year, thinking of doing the same next year but in 100-200gallons because 35-45 gallons just isn't doing it.
I'm also thinking of mushrooms, as well as of course compost/vermicompost.
I think teas are definitely the way to go for the most natural end result, and for reducing the reliance on externals.
The only thing I don't like about growing in the pots is that I feel like I'm not contributing anything to the tilth of the soil.

Is there enough time in an 11 week indoor soil crop cycle for a legume to sprout, grow and fixate enough nitrogen to be sufficient/impactful to the plant?