I use a new product called ‘GeoGro’ which is powdered volcanic rock dust and is used for remineralizing soils. It is an environmentally friendly and sustainable product which recycles quarry waste. GeoGro increases yields in productive soils, rehabilitates exhausted soil, sequesters CO2 from the atmosphere and improves the mineral content of foods and therefore the overall health of the consumer. I have been using it on my garden at home and have noticed bigger plants, increased resistance to pests and diseases, better flavour and increased storage capacity.

Graham Harvery in his 2008 book ‘We want real food’ states:

• ‘In the past 50 years vegetables sold in the UK have lost 24% of their magnesium, 27% of their iron and 46% of their calcium’
• ‘Beef has fewer of the omega-3 fats that once made it a healthy food’
• ‘Milk from cows kept in sheds is depleted of vitamins and the cancer-fighting CLA that helped to make this a fitness food ‘

The World health Organization state that these micronutrient deficiencies have the following impacts on crops:

• Leads to less efficient use of other essential plant nutrients;
• Can trigger nitrogen losses to the environment;
• Results in lower water use efficiency;
• Weakens crops’ capacity to withstand difficult conditions;
• Crop contains undesirable elements (like cadmium) with higher risks of having non-nutritive trace elements present in edible parts;
• Crop quality and yield is lowered.

You can be as organic as you like and put in tons of compost but if the mineral content is lacking then your vegetables will not be a healthy as they could be. The benefits of remineralization for the farmer and the home grower and numerous:and i

Environmental:

Reduction of fossil fuel use.

Less agrochemical inputs needed

CO2 sequestration (ties up atmospheric carbon)

Promotes biodiversity

Social:

Better human health

Less burden on the NHS

Encourages the grow your own movement

Economic:

Address falling oil supplies

Helps to promote a sustainable and local food system.

Reclaims depleted soils which leads to greater UK food self sufficiency

I bought mine here: www.earwig-organics.co.uk