It’s Nature’s gift!
It’s often already there for us in perfect form, free of charge.
But we can help create it if we don’t have as much of it as we’d like.
Improving It Is Our Most Important Contribution!
Soil building is the one thing we truly affect and facilitate and the best way we can continue to improve our garden.
But all we really need to do is provide the correct raw materials and the rest is done for us while we rest.
In the blog posts below, we explain all the facets of soil one needs to know to have an excellent garden and how to accomplish near perfection with the least effort and cost.
Amazing Soil: An Introduction
There is absolutely nothing like soil. Its rich smell—sent north on the breeze on a late-winter day when deep in our souls we’re longing for the joys of the sun on our skin and the unmitigated smiles of peace that come unbidden while sitting on our garden paths surrounded by a profusion of growth—is the truest harbinger of spring, and its redolence marks the wayposts of the garden year—the tilling, the planting, the hoeing and weeding, the harvest, the cleanup.
But what lies beyond the surface is the key to our becoming great gardeners.
on what makes healthy soil, the depth and breadth of plants’ roots, and how to build healthy soil.
A Gardener’s Relationship with Soil
How important is soil, really?
What soil is required for truly healthy plants?
What insights do green-thumbed gardeners have about soil?
How do green-thumbed gardeners see their relationship with soil?
The vision in the head of all great, green-thumbed gardeners is what truly sets them apart. But what is this vision? It starts with soil.
Perfect Soil
What does perfect soil look like?
I mean, what are the elements of perfect soil?
Is having good soil only about how rich in nutrients it is?
Is having perfect soil even achievable?
Perfect soil is a gardener’s dream. But what exactly are all of the essential elements of perfect soil?
Lessons from Our Roots
Why does our soil need to be loosened so deeply?
Why do plants benefit so much from wide planting beds?
How deeply and broadly do our roots grow? Is it really that deep and wide?
If we could learn the true depth and breadth of our plants’ roots what would this tell us about the spaces we provide for them?
Our plants’ roots are the biggest source of insight for their needs. Luckily, two inspiring researchers carefully measured and mapped them for us! Let’s have a look!