Without life-filled soil we are all dead.
Today's Big Ag, civilization, war, cars etc. are covering and destroying the soil/earth.
So how do we ensure good soil? And what is good soil?
Take 2 handfulls - you now have more micro-organisms in your hands than all the people on the planet [if it's good soil!]! Good soil can be described as 'loam' - avoiding the extremes of sand and clay. Full of fungi, bacteria and micro-organism: it is an entire world unto itself.
1. We need to feed the soil. Organic matter is essential to add to all soil types. These can be leaves, cover crops, manure, humanure [see previous post on how to make], blood meal, bone meal, ... basically any "organic" matter. Minerals can also help the soil. These all build the structure of the soil and some, like manure, provide needed bacteria, along with nutrients.
Because few farms have animals on them, providing precious manure, soils in Southern Ontario and NE U.S. are losing and compacting their soil. Looking at the fence line, farmers see it is much higher that the field, farmers attest at a recent EFAO conference. This is bad news and the obvious consequence of excluding animals from the system.
The type of soil plays a role in what is needed but these are general guidelines that will help most if not all soil types.
2. Cover the soil. Like our skin in the hot sun, it needs protection. The sun, wind, rain can all damage and wash away the precious top soil. Mulches and cover crops are essential to protect the soil. These are also key in weed and pest control.
Gardeners should keep the soil covered with leaves or straw all year. Moving the material to make way for rows ensures food for the earthworms all year. If planting plants, just move the material, put the plant in, then bring the material to the base of the plant. You will be amazed how quickly the soil improves and love the weed free gardening. The "No Work Garden" as Ruth Stout proclaimed years ago in her book. This will save you more work than anything you can imagine, while building the soil too!
While most earthworms are not native and destructive in the wild, they do most of the work for the gardener/farmer. They eat the organic matter, poop it out, tunnel, aerate, turning the "waste" into "gold".
Lastly, a soil with lots of organic matter hold water up to 20x than those without. With the climate catastrophe upon us, this is vital. It also prevents over-watering which can bring up salts from the earth which degrade the soil. So, again, you can save work by doing the above suggestions!
Healthy soil = healthy plants = healthy humans/non-humans. If the plants are strong they can withstand many weeds and pests. And plants do produce natural deterrents to fight off these. They also produce chemicals that attract others also! And guess what? Good soil is an amazing carbon sequester! Manure is essential to building great soil: demonstrating the need for them in the cycle of life, as organic farmer Joel Salatin attests through practice.
