07/18/2026
"To grow food, you have to grow soil" is widely attributed to organic farming pioneer J.I. Rodale. That's what we are doing at the Pālolo Hongwanji where we have just planted three compact agroforestry gardens. We use a "lasagne" mulching technique, learned from Craig Elevitch and Kealoha Kalama, in which we mix layers of green "living" mulch with leaf litter and other organic material that has decayed more. By mixing these layers we not only protect our plantings from the burning sun, but also ensure that different layers break-down at different rates so that there's a more continuous feeding of the soil. We use materials like banana stalks, mango leaves, wood chips, etc. Almost all the material comes from onsite as well, reducing the likelihood of introducing pests or diseases from off-site and also helping to maintain a closed-loop system. We also plant cover crop and longer-term species like sunn h**p and mooring for "chop & drop" so that we can keep feeding organic material into the soil for months and years to come.
I have personally come to the conclusion over the past 1-2 years that rather than obsessing about macro or micro nutrient levels or soil amendments (although I'm certainly not against them), simply adding tons of organic material is probably the best way to improve your soil over the long term.
