Subsections

• Welcome
• Content & Application
• Summary of Effects

Welcome to Mother Earth's Minerals Product Page

Volcanic Basalt used as a mineral-rich soil enhancer

This is the only thing we sell - English sourced, 425,000,000 year old volcanic basalt that is older than the hills. Our goal is to help people grow biodynamic fruit and vegetables and help soil stability and add vitality into the foods we need to eat in the process. This basalt is a naturally occurring substance - nothing added - just simply crushed

We supply loose loads of this material to seven counties in the southwest; we deliver by contracted trucks with sixteen and twenty tonne load limits with no additional delivery charge to these areas.

 DEVON                       DORSET                                     WILTSHIRE                GLOUCESTER            HAMPSHIRE                SOMERSET

Partial loads are charged extra; having trucks on the road that aren't fully loaded simply isn't sustainable.

If you are outside the counties listed above, please contact us so we can send you a quote for the additional delivery charge.

Thank you for choosing MOTHER EARTH’S MINERALS volcanic basalt for remineralising you and your soil.

Research indicates that Mother Earth's Minerals used as a soil enhancer can provide sufficient mineral improvement for some years. This is recommended when land is being prepared initially for allotment sites new small farm acreage. If an allotment or garden is already in full use, one truckload per site can last significantly longer, with the application of minerals done by hand rather than by a spreader which is used on larger plots of land. This product must be kept draw so the finer particulate material isn't washed away before the minerals are applied where needed.

Click here to find out more about the needs of soil, biologically or structurally.

Our Product - Content & Application

Mother Earth's Minerals volcanic basalt contains concentrated amounts of trace elements and minerals that have been leached from our surface soils from over-use due to long term agricultural practices and exposure to the elements. There are few ways in which soil can be remineralised that are naturally organic, providing any benefit to soil quality. To find out more about the needs of soil, biologically or structurally, follow this link -

Volcanic basalt addresses the issue of de-mineralised soil, as written about by Graham Harvey in his book, We Want Real Food. His writing has received much press and consideration by gardeners and farmers interested in producing more nutritious and abundant crops since the book's publication in 2006.

Our product has been un-earthed in the excavation of stone for road surfacing, having been compressed in sedimentary layers over many thousands of years. It is a by-product of this industry, not used in any substantial amount and is a limited commodity. When this supply runs out there will be no more; geology tells us there are no more volcanic deposits in England. Its composition is as follows:

As the basalt is rich in natural silica, it can cause irritation to the lungs and skin. it is essential that you use a proper mask and gloves when applying the basalt to your soil.

Mother Earth's Minerals is sourced in southern England. SEER'S Rock Dust, sold by Angus Horticultural is a comparable product, but obtained from Scotland. The difference between the two products is its place of origin more than its content but the distance we are willing to transport this material is less, preferring not to contribute any more to our own carbon footprint. By providing this natural, safe form of soil improvement to people in our own region, we keep costs down while impacting the environment as little as possible. Our basalt is £60 per tonne. It's a healthier option to grow your own fruit and vegetables, knowing there are no additives to worry about.

It doesn't make sense to us to provide a product that will improve a primary aspect of our ecology while impacting another. These mineral deposits are limited and are fortunate enough to have access to them.

As it's environmentally and economically unfeasible for large growers or community gardeners to buy smaller bagged quantities, the smallest order we will deliver is a 1 tonne dumpy sack (open tops) and loose loads of 16 and 20 tonne.  We will gladly deliver multiples of these amounts where needed. A nine foot wide minimum gate clearance is needed for truck deliveries.

This product must be kept dry so the finer particulate material isn't washed away before the minerals are applied where needed. Water percolating down through the volcanic basalt releases the minerals, as do frost, worms and micro-organisms as they break down or travel through the soil. Because of this process, re-mineralisation takes approximately one year before the best results to be seen but crops grown immediately after application still receive benefits.

Storage

Our one tonne dumpy sacks and truck loads of loose material must be covered or stored if not being applied immediately. Water makes it work; keep it dry until you need it. WE RECOMMEND: Storage inside a shed or barn, in wheelie bins, skips or mounded on tarpaulins – one beneath the basalt and one over the top to keep minerals from leaching into the soil where stored or running away across a concrete slab.

Application

This crushed basalt can be applied to large areas with the type of spreader that would be used for fertilizer applications. It does not need to be dug in – its natural coarseness helps it bind well with soil and reseeding can follow thereafter. NOTE: This product is dusty – do use a mask and wear groves as the material has course edges.

Each time you add green waste to your compost add a handful of basalt.. It stimulates the micro-organisms and worms that will enrich your soil further.

Volumes and Coverage

It takes 4.3 kilo of volcanic basalt to remineralise a square meter of soil for five years. It takes approximately seventeen and a half tonnes to cover an acre of land. The cost of a sixteen-tonne load of loose volcanic basalt delivered is £559 where the same soil enhancer bagged in one tonne dumpy sacks will cost more than £2000. Being environmentally conscious about packing when purchasing mineral-rich soil enhancer is as important as the amount of waste saved by the production of 15% of the UK's fresh fruit and vegetables grown in allotments and people's small gardens; where no packaging is required. If you have a small site, two-hundred and thirty-three square meters can be covered with a one tonne dumpy sack at a cost of £159.

You need only use as much as you want - any reasonable amount will be of beneficial but this is the optimum recommendation for good nutrient levels in soil and our food. The basalt you apply may last much longer, depended on the type of plant crops being grown and the effects of heavy erosion. Clay soils benefit from the basalt as it creates a more even soil consistency, reducing run-off. Some plants use more or less minerals during their growth phase - that's why some foods are deemed higher in iron, calcium or magnesium than others, as they take more of these nutrients from the soil and pass it on to us. This is why crop rotation (and occasionally letting a field become fallow every third or fourth year) is a good idea, even in garden allotments.

Summary of Effects

MOTHER EARTH'S MINERALS volcanic basalt:

• Stabilizes soil pH
• Enhances nutrient value
• Grows bigger, heartier fruits, vegetables, flowers and trees
• Provides longer shelf life for your edible harvest
• Produces vibrant blooms and lawns
• Improves resistance to drought and soil pests
• Aids soil compaction and stability