Building up humus requires more than mere composting, it requires a substantial transformation of what is decaying into a basis for new life - just as presenting a healthy, life-supporting meal, is more than just cooking up some foods and serving them. Developing humus is first of all a mental process of understanding what humus really is and its role in the household of nature. Humus is very much like the uterus of the earth. It is where nature's seeds go, where they are surrounded by highly concentrated nutrients and where they find just the right conditions for healthy growth. Nature supplies in various ways for the development of humus, naturally. In agriculture, we must take great care to protect and produce humus at very high quality levels. Through appropriate soil care, through green manuring and through humus-composting we are able to actually produce humus in the field. Additionally, certain sprays and soil ammendments can also further the development of quality humus - as can mulching in certain conditions. In the picture above, we see rows of well made, layered composts on the lands of Weingut Heinrich in Austria.
