Making Homemade Fertilizer
How to Turn a Potato Into a Supercharged Soil Potion
If you’ve ever wished you could make fertilizer that’s stronger than store‑bought, gentler on the land, and costs almost nothing, welcome to the magic of JADAM farming. This method, developed by Korean farmer Youngsang Cho, is built on one simple idea: nature already knows how to feed itself — we just need to listen.
What You’re Making: JADAM Microbial Solution (JMS)
JMS is basically a microbial explosion in a bucket — billions of beneficial microorganisms that supercharge soil life, boost nutrient availability, and help plants grow stronger.
Ingredients
A handful of leaf mold (forest floor soil full of native microbes)
Potatoes (microbe food)
Sea salt (minerals + microbe balancer)
Water (non‑chlorinated)
How to Make It
Boil potatoes, mash them, and dissolve them in water.
Add a pinch of sea salt.
Add your leaf mold.
Let it sit for 2–3 days until the surface forms a creamy, bubbly foam.
Dilute 1:20 with water and apply to soil or as a foliar spray.
Why It Works (The Fun Science Part)
Potatoes provide simple carbohydrates that microbes devour, causing rapid reproduction.
Leaf mold introduces native fungal and bacterial communities perfectly adapted to your land.
Sea salt adds trace minerals essential for enzymatic reactions in plants.
JMS increases cation exchange capacity (CEC) — meaning your soil becomes better at holding nutrients.
📚 Scientific nod: Soil microbial communities have been shown to increase nutrient cycling efficiency by up to 40% (van der Heijden et al., Nature, 2008).
Why Gardeners Love It
Because it’s:
Cheap
Fast
Organic
Regenerative
And honestly… kind of fun to watch bubble like a living potion