Preparing the Garden – Charcoal?

My horticulture students in Honduras do it!

Adding charcoal to garden soil has some great benefits:

1.  It will make the soil more alkaline.  With acid rain this is an important factor.
2. The soil will be less dense and will allow for more air circulation and better root development.
3. Charcoal will hold moisture and nutrients
4. The carbon will be in the soil where we want it.

If you are a traditional gardener you may have your work cut out for you trying to integrate large amounts of charcoal into your garden.  If you do Square Foot Gardening or use raised beds, adding char to the mix is relatively easy.

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