Nutrient Management Guide for New England Vegetable Production
Soils are one of a farmer’s most important resources. A high quality soil is said to be healthy if it provides adequate nutrients and water for crop production, has a diverse population of soil microbes and adequate organic matter. Soil health is fundamental to profitable and sustainable production. How we manage nutrients, organic matter and microbial populations is key to building soil health. This manual is intended to help the reader understand more about soils—some of the basics about what happens in the soil and how it impacts crops, and also to offer some insight on soil and nutrient management practices and how they affect soils, crop productivity and profit.
The first part of this manual discusses the basics, including the physical, chemical and biological properties of soil. These are quite interdependent. Each of these aspects affects the other two. Developing a healthy soil requires attention to all three. The second part is about management practices to achieve healthy soils. It is also about the various sources of nutrients and soil amendments and how the management of these resources is necessary for optimum vegetable crop production.
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