Diversification in organic farming is the key to a complete organic farming system. By having 7 different crops on your organic farm you are breaking up the pest & disease numbers.

     You need to grow seven or more different crops in your organic farm. By growing a good range of crops it helps to break up pest & disease numbers. In conventional farming monoculture is the normal practice carried out, which in turn by having a monoculture you are giving the pest & disease a chance to build up into very large numbers. Then totally wipe out your crops. That’s why in conventional farming they have to spray so often must do every 10- 14 days throughout the life of the crop or fruit.

Diversification in crops

       You need to grow around seven different crops including animals in your organic system to achieve diversification. By having different crops growing it helps to break up disease & pest numbers. If you can grow crops that you can rotate around like vegetables 0r cereal crops. This gives you the chance to rest the soil plus grow some legumes crops to improve the health of your soil.
       While having animals in the system helps to bring in animal manures which also provide a food source for beneficial organisms.
       Also by having diversification in your crops, you do not have all your eggs in one basket. This will help to spread your income out over the whole year plus give you a greater success as sometimes a crop will produce well & receive top dollar at the markets. While others might have a lean year at the markets for price. Overall you still come out on top.

Diversification in fertilizers

        You should always try to do a soil test each year after main harvest time. To see how your soil is going in regards to nutrients that you might be lacking in the soil. Also it is good practice to get a soil activity test check your levels of fungi, bacteria, protozoa & many other beneficial organisms. You can get a test done at any soil food web laboratory.
         It can be help full to apply a mineral base fertilizer every year to the ground plus small amount of calcium or magnesium depending on your requirements. You try to mix up your nitrogen sources. example rotating between blood & bone or a chook fertilizer. You can not beat a good quality compost that is packed full of micro-organisms. Compost applied to the soil provides a good supply organism that we help to contain disease in the soil plus plant.