5 key facts you should know about your soil

Soil may not seem a sexy topic, let’s face it – it’s commonly referred to as dirt.  But, with a name like Muddy Carrot, we're bound to bring it up at some point! 

So is it important for our every day life?

Yes, it is vital, it is what our very existence is built on, and before you dismiss it as something just for the interest of farmers - let's take a closer look at the soil beneath your feet:

• We depend on it, and its health, for all the food we eat.  It is key to our whole food chain, from fruit and vegetables to the plant life that sustains the animals on our farms and in the wild.
• Though it covers a third of the planet’s surface, we know less about soil than about space.  This may seem bonkers, but soil is very complex.  A handful of soil has more micro-organisms in it than there are people on the planet. It’s full of microbial life.  It is because of all this life in the soil that we can grow healthy food.
•  Much carbon is locked up in soil.  In fact there’s twice as much carbon locked away in the soil as there is in the atmosphere.  The organic matter we add to our soil in the form of mulching, composted plant material and animal manure is all carbon based.  A 1% increase in organic matter on 1 acre of land will lock multiple tonnes of carbon out of the atmosphere.  There is great potential for building soils in this way where they’ve been degraded over the last couple of hundred years.  This has the added benefit of improving the fertility of the land we grow on, not through artificial chemicals but through more sustainable organic matter.
• Soil can and is being eroded and compacted throughout the world.  This is most noticeable on soil on slopes.  Once we remove the plants growing on the surface of the soil, rain will soon wash the soil, and the goodness within it, away.  This is why clearing trees from hillsides to grow crops can have a devastating effect on it, and why rainforests can become desert.  
• Soil has many layers.  There is a rich surface layer full of the organic matter from decomposing plants, and added organic material, followed by the top soil and then the sub-soil.   Soil comes in varying mixes of sand, silt and clay, and the proportions of these elements determines the ‘type’ of soil you have.  A healthy garden soil should be teeming with worms moving goodness around the garden, and helping to keep the soil aerated.

You can help the environment by caring for the soil in your own garden.  Very simple things can make a big difference.  By learning how to make your own compost, mulching over the top of your garden beds and growing insect-friendly plants you can all have a positive effect on the environment.

How are you using your garden?