Thinking About Soil

 “To be a successful farmer one must first know the nature of the soil.” -Xenophon 400 BC

Margaret, I believe you mean soil

Soil is an important carbon sink storing 10% of the world’s carbon dioxide – more than all terrestrial vegetation and the atmosphere combined. When soil is disturbed, or tilled, carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere where it is a major contributor to global warming. croplife.org

Soil is home to billions of living microorganisms which recycle organic material to maintain soil fertility and support plant growth. One cup of soil may hold 7 billion bacteria – the equivalent of our world’s human population!

Researchers from Bristol University and University College London discovered, using laboratory mice, that a "friendly" bacteria, commonly found in soil, activated brain cells to produce the brain chemical serotonin and altered the mice's behaviour in a similar way to antidepressants. Low serotonin levels are also associated with irritable bowel disease and fibromyalgia. Lowry et al, 2007

At our meeting next week, Tracy Loslo, Chief Dig and founder of i-DIG gardening, will speak on The Heart and Soil of a Vibrant Garden. Tracey will be digging into what constitutes great soil and how we gardeners can produce more results by doing less work with our soil.

Bring a 500ml clean pop bottle because Tracey is giving each household some free liquid soil amender.