Soil, soil everywhere and not a bit to eat...

Healthy soils mean happy plants, cleaner water, increased harvests, and bigger profits for farmers and gardeners.

Fertile soil is good for the environment. Fertile soil acts as a sponge to soak up carbon emissions. The soil is where the carbon is. There is more carbon in the earth’s soil than in the atmosphere. Our soil stores 4000 billion tons of carbon – over ten times more than forests 360 billion tons, or the atmosphere 800 billion tons. The more carbon we put in the soil (sequestration), the less there is in the atmosphere and hence a more stable climate.

Climate change is creating less predictable and stronger weather patterns such as more frequent flooding and prolonged hot spells leading to drought and crop failure.

When it comes to food, unhealthy soil produces lackluster vegetables and poor crop harvests so when plants are ailing, you need to check is the soil fertile enough. Ecologists consider soil to be the central processing unit of the earth’s environment (Sanchez 1994).

A fertile healthy and living soil is great for growing nutritious tasty food to keep your family and society healthy. Soil can be made fertile through improved soil health practices such as no till (plowing) or strip tilling of the land. You can also use what the scientists call “Organic Matter” i.e.  decaying roots, falling leaves and what many see as waste products - compost and manure.

Good compost and manure revitalize lifeless soil. They improve the structure, enhance the soil with life and provide the necessary plant foods for everything that grows. Fertile soil creates healthy crops, animals and human beings. We are all intricately connected to the soil and therefore it’s important to preserve and nurture the soil so that future generations will have healthy food and a conducive climate in the future.

Topsoil is the upper, outermost layer of soil. It is only about 5 to 10 inches in depth. This small sliver of life-giving material feeds all land-based life on earth. Hence the reason why we call it Mother earth - that which gives life to us all.

Topsoil has the highest concentration of organic matter, and microorganisms which assist to breakdown organic matter, transforming it into nutrients for plants. Topsoil is composed of mineral particles, organic matter, water, and air. Organic matter varies in quantity on different soils, especially since the introduction of chemical fertilizers which stunt the growth of microorganisms found in the soil and so critical for healthy natural plant growth.

This natural self-sustaining circular method of feeding our soil was used for millennia by gardeners and farmers. It was only after the introduction of artificial fertilizers after World War Two that our soil fertility began to drop.

A healthy soil is one that is packed with microscopic life. In one gram of soil the number of bacteria ranges from 100,000 to several billion.

In one acre of prime agricultural land, one will find numerous microorganisms, small creatures such as springtails, millipedes, woodlice, insects, beetles and spiders and an abundance of earthworms.

All these organisms play a significant role in maintaining a healthy fertile soil. They allow air and water into the soil. They breakdown residues and other natural debris and mix them with the soil. As they breakdown the waste, essential plant nutrients are released back to feed the roots of plants. If these organisms were not present the soil would have no life. The soil would die, and we would not be able to grow food.

The warmer the soil the more active these microorganisms are and the more nutrients they release to plants. Plants grow in warm conditions and therefore soak up the increased nutrients in the soil. The roots help to hold the soil together and the crop cover reduce and stop strong winds and heavy rains eroding the soil. Any one remember the “Dustbowl”?

These creatures thrive on compost, manure, weeds, crop residue, seaweed, and other non-synthetic natural products.

We have stopped putting organic matter back into the soil and the organic matter content of soils which was often in the region of 5% is dropped to 2% in arable areas. The carbon has been released into the atmosphere. The organic matter content is the living component of our soils. It is a critical part of the circle of plant life. The remainder of the soil is the mineral matter that is derived from rock particles.

If your soil is healthy and humus rich, it acts as a carbon sink and can help counteract climate change.

Plowing and Synthetic fertilizers only give a temporary growth spurt but in the medium to long term they are destroying our soil, our food, our Mother Earth. Thankfully farmers and governments are now realizing this and changing their ways to a more sustainable future.

So, if you are at home because of Covid 19 and have more time for cutting the lawn, leave those grass cuttings on the ground to naturally fertilize your lawn. Its good for the environment and you will have a better looking and greener lawn to enjoy. Heck, you might even have time to start a compost heap and save hundreds of euros on your rubbish collection bills.