building the foundation
Soil Health in the Garden and Farm
The first, most important thing gardeners and farmers must grow is their soil. Healthy soil results in healthier plants, less work and more success. It holds together against erosion and soaks water up, holding moisture longer. And healthy soil is teeming with microbial life and actively circulating nutrients and minerals.
Soil can be assessed by the beginner, using some simple tools & procedures. On some, instinctive level, we know healthy soil when we see it. Healthier soils are darker than barren soils and have a pleasant, earthy smell.
Knowing what you're aiming for will reduce lost time and wasted effort. Understanding your current soil conditions and what's not working will point to the soil health strategies that are most needed. Below are some easy methods to learn more about your soil and afterwards the common soil health principles.
the New Food Garden
There are 5 Soil Health Principals that will help growers improve their existing soil:
- Maximize Presence of Living Roots
- Minimize Disturbance
- Maximize Soil Cover
- Maximize Biodiversity
- Incorporate Animal Impact
Maximize Presence of Living Roots
Living roots leak a steady stream of sugars and nutrients to the soil community. This improves fertility, creates good structure and protects soil. Using living cover crops in the winter is an example of living roots. Use of grasses and clovers for paths keeps the unwanted weeds and mud in check. Biointensive growing allows beds to be quickly replanted with new crops to minimize bare ground conditions.
Minimize Disturbance
Disturbed soils tend to lose organic matter, structure and beneficial soil microbes. Tillage, pesticide application and even fertilizing are examples of disturbances that make soil less resilient and more vulnerable. No-till, organic farming methods are a good example of minimizing disturbance. Avoid stepping on prepared beds to keep from compacting the soil.
Fungi and mycorhyzae are the heavy lifters in soil health. Their strands grow slowly, winding through the soil, offering nutrients to plants and weaving together soil aggregates. Disturbances like tillage and compaction really do a number on fungi, damaging tender strands and cutting off the important services they provide the soil.
Maximize Soil Cover
Bare soil is open to erosion, higher temperatures and loss of nutrients. Covering soil with mulches or living plants will reduce evaporation and hold soil in place. Leaving the plant stubble in beds after harvest can reduce work and leave cover in place.
The UV radiation, the wind and the dryness in my area are brutal on uncovered soil. When I first assessed my soil coverage, it was barely 25% and I thought I'd been doing a good job. Today, between wood chip mulch, stepping stones and garden residues, I have around 80% coverage. This has slowed the wind erosion that was stealing my garden.
Maximize Biodiversity
Nature does not monocrop the way large, conventional farms do. To improve soil health, add different crops and rotate them, with pollinator beds all around. Biointensive growers generally have many small beds of different crops, and even 2-3 crops in the same bed. This mash-up confuses pests and feeds a variety of beneficial insects and soil organisms. They protect plants and soil exponentially through this diversity.
Incorporate Animal Impact
Animals play a critical role in all ecosystems and the garden is no different. Growers have many options for including animals. Manure can be added to the compost, pollinators lured in with flowers and chickens can be tractored around after harvest to clean up. By protecting insect habitat around the garden, natural pest predators can find welcome space and keep the garden protected.