Ideas
Healthy soil is a beautiful thing. It's the color of dark chocolate, soft as a
pillow, and its earthy scent elicits what must be an instinctive response – to
dive in up to your elbows and then plant a garden.
Grab a handful of healthy soil and what you have is a collection of minerals,
organic matter and open space. Healthy soil is about 50 percent open space
and works like a sponge, absorbing water and oxygen for growing roots and
the microorganisms and critters that turn organic matter into nutrients.
Nitrogen is essential to the growth of stems and leaves
Phosphorous spurs root growth
Potassium bolsters a plant's immune system and overall growth
Additional nutrients include calcium, magnesium, molybdenum and zinc
Healthy soil also limits stormwater running off of your property and
washing pollutants into storm drains and creeks. The soil absorbs
the stormwater, plant roots filter out pollutants such as nitrogen and
phosphorous, and the water recharges the groundwater basin below.
Mother Nature makes soil like this in the forest, where the droppings from
trees and plants become a layer of mulch that decomposes into organic
matter year after year. Farmers and urban gardeners, however, have to make
their own. It's a three-step process. First, you get to know your soil. Then you
mix in compost and cover it with mulch.
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