I only use organic fertilizer etc. I do amend my soil etc. I am not upset with gardening overall but I wanted to point out that it is not as cheap and easy to do as people like to make it sound but that it takes work, time and money. Quite often the way it is presented is "Oh just stick some plants in the ground and you'll have bushels of veggies and it's done in a snap. That is not always the case.

And yes, I know all about the food web and how it is supposed to work, even with using compost, all organic everything etc it has not worked out that now I have super productive soil. Perhaps, as I said, it is the chlorine in the water, or other people using chemical big killers etc that leach into my soil, the hardness of the water, the balance of my soil is off, or my compost isn't perfect or as I said, I don't make enough compost due to it only being two of us. I do let leaves etc that drop from the plants sit and decompose but that can also cause fungi to build up. Then there are the recurring spidermites, ants and aphids etc.