some years ago
when I over-seeded a ten acre field with horse pasture mix,
sweet clover and red clover, a dead field came back to life:
you could see that in late winter when that piece of land
was the first to be free from snow
and the north-migrating ducks, geese and gulls landed by
the thousands on a green field in the middle of still snow covered
fields and 'discussed' matters with my free range ducks, geese and chickens...
in other words, the clover and the soil culture below the surface
were full with life that made things grow and warm up
from below the surface;
in other words, soil is/was as much of an 'organism'
as the oceans are/were
that's the secret to growing, to keep life alive.
So, my little garden patch is only as good as I leave the soil to itself,
to mulch it as nature would do naturally to preserve its moisture
so micro-organisms can thrive within the soil
nor to interrupt the soil with digging
nor with factory products
Real soil is its very own input
just like ocean water is...