Earth day has passed again. While many people celebrate it, I wonder how many really understand the connection between the earth and us. On Earth Day, people think about trees, plastic, the oceans, and the air, but the key to life on earth is found in an incredibly thin skin covering the earth -- a few inches of topsoil. This is where the nutrients essential to our well-being begin their formation. We are neglecting it and the price we are paying for this neglect is substantial.
Lower nutritional food value that is causing food related chronic illnesses -- skyrocketing health care costs -- deaths from infectious diseases like covid 19 -- climate change -- water pollution and dead zones -- are all related to the health of soil biology.
We are inextricably connected to the earth that we so casually take for granted. Every child in every classroom in the world should be taught about the incredibly important role our living soils play in life on this green planet.
Gardening is empowering in many ways. It gives you a sense of accomplishment and a creative outlet -- and nothing is more empowering than being able to grow your own food. How you garden makes a difference personally and globally. It shows you that you can make a difference and what is good for our planet is even better for your family.
On a personal level, your garden soil can either be storing atmospheric carbon or releasing it. It can be nourishing you or making your family ill. It can act as a water purifier or source of water pollution. It can be feeding insects and birds or killing them. Your garden soil can detoxify chemicals your neighbors use on their lawns before they are absorbed by your garden crops. This is a decision you make every year.
And our personal decisions can make a global difference.
Take for example personal decisions like social distancing to fight a global pandemic. This is making a major difference worldwide in the spread of the disease -- no miraculous cure by a pharmaceutical laboratory -- just each person educating themselves and doing their part. It turns out the biggest impact we have on this global pandemic is the simple educated act of standing six feet away from people because the virus only travels so far before it drops onto a surface (except in the case of coughs, sneezes, or loud talking).
Likewise, gardening in living soil can also make a difference -- both personally and globally.
Creating a garden of living soil is done by providing soil life the right environment. This means creating a loose, well drained soil that holds moisture well but does not get over saturated -- and them introduce (using quality compost), encourage, and cultivate them.
After a busy soil day yesterday, we are well stocked on our living soil and compost -- thanks to our senior (but in shape) helpers yesterday.
Below is a link to a video
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Soil is a living organism.
It explains that the best way to prevent pest damage -- and grow healthier, more productive plants is to improve soil biology.
