Why organic vegetables rot and natural vegetables wither. - Book: "What apples taught me (ringo ga oshiete kureta koto)" by Akinori Kimura

We need more books like this in English too. How small apple farmer over years of experiments and observation finally finds a way to grow apple without pesticides or fertilizers (both chemical and organic).

Most important thing is to observe natural forest, but not any forest like Sugi forest is not suitable for vegetable cultivation, but deciduous broad leaf forest creates rich soil, and create the forest soil through natural process like growing weeds and beans.

What is most striking difference between organic and his natural farming is that his apples, vegetables or rice do not rot, but wither like how plants die back naturally and just dries up instead of melt into some black stinky slimy substance. His apple cut in half was left on top of refrigerator never rot, instead dried up.

What is causing the problem? Why organic vegetables rot while his natural vegetables wither or dry up or ferment. He points out that it is nitrate from unfinished high nitrogen compost and fertilizers are absorbed by plants. Especially manures used in compost affect in similar way.

He also goes on to say that vegetables or rice produced in conventional chemical based farming last longer than organic vegetables and rice in his rot test. It means organic cucumber rot before conventional cucumber.

Japan is a nation of small farmers and generally distributors demand that farmers use less fertilizers and pesticides or the distributors will not buy the vegetables from these farmers.

What does it mean to eat rotting vegetables? Vegetables in your stomach and intestine are rotting?

Anybody can do "rot test" easily at home. Get some organic spinach and conventional spinach and natural farming spinach (if you have access to it or if you can grow without fertilizer or compost) and stuff them into glass jars. Put plastic wrap on them and poke a few holes. Put them in sunny location. You might be surprised to see what happens.

木村秋則さんの本"リンゴが教えてくれたこと"