
Like success, the garden, in the distance.
Before we could get to the 2020 garden season, we had to make it through the winter. As all of you know, 2019/2020 has had its challenges. Mine started early.
In early December, our cat died. His acute health problems could have been addressed. But he was old, and this was just the beginning. We considered the approaching quality of life issues, and decided that the most loving thing was to spare him what was coming. It was tough–as all pet owners know. They give us unconditional love; we owe them.
Then Rick and I had our annual physical. The doctor came into the exam room with issues–she didn’t like my bloodwork. She has long been convinced that I practice internet medicine on myself–and now she had evidence of my excesses!
She lectured me about overdoing supplements. In particular, calcium. My levels were unhealthy, even dangerous. I stopped her, holding up my hand–I don’t take calcium! Well that put a furrow in her brow. What was she going to tell me? Don’t eat leafy greens! (Has anyone has ever had a doctor so prescribe?)
It was a mystery. There was supposed to be follow-up, but then came Covid.
Rick and I figured it must be the water. We knew we had hard water–but now we had to wonder…and had that figured into our cat’s demise? So we did some research and bought a carafe style filter that would remove calcium. Everything that passed our lips was filtered. Of course, we gave filtered water to the new kittens, too.
After a few weeks, I went to water our one and only houseplant, an African violet. I stopped short–it was only fair to give the houseplant filtered water, too, right? And so I started filtering water for all the living beings of the household.
Early in the spring, Rick and I were doing early garden prep, and I tripped and fell–just clumsy. But in falling, I broke yet another rib… Hmmm, the effects of excess calcium can be as bad for one’s bones as too little–and since coming to Michigan, I’ve broken several ribs. Well water. (Well, water.)
On the garden, we were still angling to use activated charcoal. It had been so successful the previous season. And we were excited about using spent grains for compost and in the garden beds–though that was before the pandemic shuttered our local micro-brewery. After a few weeks of filtered water, that African violet gave us something else to think about.
It had never really thrived. It sits in a north-facing window and always looked…peaked. But just weeks after giving it filtered water, it completely changed.
What about the garden? Maybe that was why, each summer it started fine and then petered out. Didn’t the average summer get hot and dry, mid-season–causing us to water heavily? We decided we need to experiment with the water quality. Our resolve became even more determined when we learned that one treatment for too much calcium was to put activated charcoal into the soil. After all, that was the primary ingredient in the filtration system. That doubled the reasons to go with biochar.
Rick rigged up a big water filter for the garden hoses. We purchased bags of food-grade activated charcoal, and dug it into the raised beds. We planted, and crossed our fingers.
It might be too early to tell, but early indications show a dramatic difference. The tomato plants–in previous years, spindly and weak, are lush and loaded with tomatoes. The bok choi and greens are incredible. Our late season potato plants are robust and sturdy. Everything in the raised beds is doing incredibly well. Only the vegetables planted in buckets (which still have some native soils) are having trouble. For the first time, our beets are thriving and growing beets–and they’re delicious.
The next step will be a new whole-house and garden filtration system. The garden filter was the test run. With such remarkable results, there is no reason not to fully make the change–for our health, our plumbing and our garden’s well being.
Now I just have to figure out how to tell my doctor that she saved the garden.
Our well water tested years ago for very high minerals – even without a test it would have been obvious….it clogs up our taps, shower head, boiling it leaves a hard film on out pots, canning with it leaves a miserable film on the jars. We use ‘town water’ to drink and cook with, and for canning – I toss a splash of vinegar in the water that solves the problem. The gardens don’t seem to mind it – but then we get a fair bit of rain these days to alternate with well water. We’ve also always used the ashes from the cook stove in the garden beds. We love on hardpan clay. There’s zero of that in the gardens- just compost and hay.
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Same here, taps, shower–etc. And vinegar is a lifesaver for appliances. We don’t dare put ashes in the garden–we’re already too alkaline–so just the char. Like I said, we knew the water was hard–but not that hard.
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I am sure that the doctor will be pleased! –Curt
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I guess she has a green thumb.
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wow, that is crazy. That much difference in the garden produce! Seeing is believing. 🙂 What are the negative effects of too much calcium? Sorry to hear about the broken ribs…never had them,but I hear they are no fun/ not much you can do about them either.
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Negative effects for the plants are failure to thrive, wasting (inability to uptake nutrients). For people–kidney stones, stones in salivary glands, potential for plaque on arterial walls, (maybe neuropathy) potential heart damage. Excess calcium can actually promote decalcification of bones (hence the ribs.) I’m glad she caught it–so that we could get it fixed.
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Wow – that was interesting. I grew up on a farm, and we never had our well water tested, but I remember the bathroom taps always corroding. LOL re the last line re your doctor!
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It may well be that, if we had better soils, it wouldn’t be such a problem, but with low nutrient soils to start with, the water is the last straw.
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The activated charcoal filter is working wonders. However, I do not think it will remove calcium to any great extent. Our water is very hard here and I know what you mean about the limescale build up. My tea suffers but a charcoal filter did not improve the hardness for drinking to any great extent. The active charcoal filter does remove move masses of contaminants including pesticides and herbicides. I do not feel it is excess calcium that can cause so much of a problem. Amelia
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Before we filtered our water, our electric teakettle needed to be descaled on a regular basis (using vinegar.) Since we’ve been filtering, we haven’t needed to descale at all–since February. So the activated charcoal filter must be removing calcium. According to the internet research I did (and I always consider that with more than a grain of salt) the molecular structure of the activated charcoal can “trap” calcium and other nutrients. This is why it is considered a good garden amendment (because it can trap and hold transient nutrients for later release.) I don’t pretend to fully understand the science at the molecular level. Our gardens are, and have been, an experiement in applied strategies. But–this is the first year that I’ll have vegetables to can, and quality produce for the table.
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One thing to consider is that a diet that’s rich in acid-producing foods (especially a protein-rich diet that’s high in meat and dairy) can cause your body to leach calcium from your bones. It does this to maintain blood pH, which has to be kept within a narrow range. This explains the paradox that a lot of people who eat a lot of calcium-rich dairy have hip fractures when older.
Your case may be completely different, but just passing on the info in case it’s useful 🙂
See here for more info:
https://greenstarsproject.org/2020/01/20/why-legumes-banned-paleo-diet/
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I’m aware of the acid/protein risk for leaching–but never contemplated that my diet fell into this category. I have some health issues that limit my exposure to acids (though I do occasionally indulge in a summer tomato fest), and my animal protein consumption is steady, but small.
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Nice last line btw 😀
Now I just have to figure out how to tell my doctor that she saved the garden.
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