Basil and a lot of plants grow better when there is good fungus and active biological activity in the soil. Pesticides, road salt, run-off from your roof after a heavy rain storm will destroy the life in your soils.

Compost tea, a brew of fungus and protozoa, puts it back. Not really fertilizer, compost tea is more of an activator, the life of the party that makes everyone perk up when she walks through the door.

If you understand why eating yoghurt with active cultures is good for you, then you’ve got a basic understanding of why soils with active biology are healthier and more productive.

Much of what we know understand about the way that good fungus helps plants grow is based on the research of Dr. Elaine Ingham http://rodaleinstitute.org/about-us/our-staff/, now chief scientist at the Rodale Institute. More about Dr. Ingham’s work tomorrow…