07/10/2026
Craig may be predominantly about edibles, but primarily he is about plants - the same sane advice applies - feed your soil, and the soil feeds your plants, it does not care for the purpose for which the plant is grown!
Over the past five years, I’ve adopted some simple principles to regenerate soil and grow plants simultaneously. This involves feeding soil organic matter rather than fertilising plants, as plants naturally don’t require fertiliser. In nature, soil microbiology provides plants with exactly what they need through biochemical signalling, a mechanism we weren’t fully aware of. However, I’ve recently delved into research on soil microbiology and gained valuable insights.
I thought I had everything figured out until yesterday when I harvested some parsnips. They were curled up, just like they would be if I’d fertilised them. You see, root vegetables, especially parsnips, don’t like much nitrogen. My enthusiasm for companion planting led me to consider where I’d plant tomatoes. I thought broad beans, which fix nitrogen, would be a great spot. A healthy soil, like mine, has nitrogen-rich nodules on its roots.
I know this because when I break open a broad bean, the inside is pink. This is a good indicator of good nitrogen fixation. If the nodules are clear or white, it means nitrogen isn’t being fixed.
Despite planting parsnips and carrots, I haven’t harvested them yet. But I can already imagine their appearance. The parsnips are a telltale sign. They’re curled up, just like they would be if fertilised. I haven’t fertilised them, but I’ve planted broad beans that fixed nitrogen in the soil and released it. Consequently, the parsnips are now bent, curled and misshapen.
It just goes to show you even experts aren’t always right. While it wasn’t what I expected, the moment I smelt that wonderful fresh parsnip smell and tasted the flavour – simply off the charts when grown regeneratively – I whipped up a delicious vegetable soup. I must say it was absolutely scrumptious regardless of the parsnip’s unusual shape. Food for thought.
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