Oodles of wonderful wrigglers!

No idea if I've posted this before, but here's what you can expect to see if you look after your soil and keep getting that organic matter in there!

I couldn't remember if I'd posted that particular picture before, but DD1 was asking whether her worms would have had babies by now and how many there would be...  a LOT!

Our soil is a veritable worm spaghetti :D

More Benefits of Green Manure

I wrote about green manure about a year ago I think, but as I've done some bits and pieces on organic matter lately I thought it might be worth a revisit.

In the simplest terms, a green manure is an annual, leafy plant, that is cut down and dug into the soil at a certain stage in it's growth.

Feed the Soil - Not the Plants

Fertilisers are something that most of you will have a strong opinion on, whether you're in favour or against, however it's a term that can cause some confusion.

The first thing I want to clear up is that a fertiliser is anything that you add to the soil specifically to provide one or more nutrients essential to plant growth.  It can be an organic or an inorganic compound and can be natural or synthetic in origin.

Getting to Know Your Soil: Colour

Every soil has it's own combinations of characteristics, that affect the nature of your soil and how it performs.  These characteristics can be broadly grouped into three, inter-connected, groupings:

• Physical
• Chemical
• Biological

Lets Get Physical!

The physical characteristics of your soil are the aspects that you can actually see and feel.  They include it's colour, texture, structure, strength, depth and stoniness.

In this post, we're going to look solely at the colour of your soil.

Soil Profiles

"dark, crumbly with a hint of stickiness,

3000 years young, 

seeks similar for fun and good times!"

Okay, so not perhaps the kind of profile you were expecting... :)

The soil profile is a 3-dimensional section of the soil.  In this, you can detect different layers (the 'horizons'), which are influenced by different factors in soil formation (see the 'Soil: What it is and where it came from' post) and also drainage and management practises.  A soil profile can vary from as little as a few centimetres, to many metres in depth.

The different horizons can be detected by being able to distinguish the separate colours, structure and textures from one to the next.  In theory...

Soil: What it is and where it came from

It has always amazed me how many of us are ignorant of the earth we stand on.

Even gardeners are often confused about where their soil came from, what type it is and how it can affect the plants that they grow.  Many will follow standard instructions on adding sand to clay to help it drain, and lime to sweeten it, without really understanding why they're doing it or the effect these actions may have.

So, to try and increase our knowledge a bit, this is going to be the first of a series of posts designed to give the average Joe (or Wayne if you're an Aussie!), a good working knowledge of soil.

What is our greatest terrestial carbon reservoir?

For as long as I can remember, the world has been obsessed with the protection of rain forests.  As the threat of global climate change becomes reality, we are now obsessed with things like pollution levels, carbon capture and our own individual carbon footprints.

The other day I was told by a lecturer that an increase in terrestrial carbon levels (that stored in the soil and vegetation worldwide) of 15% would reverse the impact of fossil fuel pollution that has occurred since the industrial revolution.

My take on organic gardening...

A question I'm asked often, is: "where do you stand on organic gardens?".

Generally, I answer this with a smile and a dismissive: "on the soil of course!".

The reason for this awkwardness is not to be rude or to belittle the questioner in any way, it's simply to cover up my own embarrassment because, to be honest, I haven't yet made up my mind.

Green Manure

This is a thread I was involved in on HomeOne, which has some great information you might find useful!

One thing not mentioned there:  soil carbon.  Get that green manure dug into your soil and you'll be increasing your carbon reservoir.  Great for your garden and great for the planet :)

Dirt: The Movie

I am really pleased to have found that William Bryant Logan's book, Dirt: The Ecstatic Skin of the Earth has been turned into a movie!

In the book, Logan mixed science and anecdotal evidence, with religious and spiritual beliefs.  For some, it made what could have been an enjoyable book a little difficult to stomach.

Dirt: The Movie however gets the balance far better.

With scientific fact, anecdotal evidence, interviews with people who work closely with the dirt and rely on it for their food...  Dirt: The Movie is interesting, and emotional, viewing.

I dare you to watch this movie and not come out with a mix of anger, enthusiasm and determination.

Here is a trailer for the movie, with other clips and info being added to YouTube as available.

You can also visit the website and purchase a copy of the video for your home, school or community.  The site will be adding packs of information and further resources in the future.

Now: Go and get dirty! :)