soil

Feb 24, 2023

Soil Texture Analysis Activity

Soil is composed of three major particle types: Sand – Made from small particles of weathered rock. Sand has a dry gritty texture. Sand drains well, but due to the large spaces between the particles it does not hold water and nutrients; therefore, most plants do not grow well in sandy soil. Silt – Silt… 

Feb 24, 2023

Soils 101: Soil Additives

Solving the Soil Equation When faced with the question, “What should I add to my garden soil,” I typically respond, “There really isn’t a formula for doing that.” Wouldn’t it be nice if there was a tidy equation for amending the soil prior to each planting season?  Was amending the soil even on your radar… 

Jan 10, 2023

Compost Cake

This “culinary” experience isn’t one to complete in the kitchen, but has a direct connection to our food, more specifically, our food waste. “Baking” a compost cake is a great hands-on way to introduce students to soil building through decomposition. What we would normally think of as waste products, like food scraps and dead leaves,… 

Jan 10, 2023

Soils 101: Building Soil with Compost

The idea of building soil might sound a bit strange. How do you build something that appears to have no real structure? Soil building simply means to improve both the chemical makeup and the physical characteristics of the soil so that it can sustain quality plant growth. This is done over time but more quickly… 

Nov 14, 2022

Brew Compost Tea

Making compost tea is a fun and easy way to increase the microbe population in your soil and in turn, improve soil health. Compost tea is a liquid produced by extracting beneficial microbes from compost much like you extract flavor when steeping tea. The most common type of compost tea is aerated compost tea. This… 

Nov 14, 2022

Soils 101: Soil Microbes

Former President Franklin D. Roosevelt said, “A nation that destroys its soils, destroys itself.” We may not know whether he specifically recognized the value of microbes to soil health, but he certainly understood the value of healthy productive soil to a society. Today, agronomists (soil scientists) and gardeners alike know that microbes are a key indicator… 

Sep 20, 2022

Grow Your Soil

Last year our focus was on Social Emotional Learning; this year we will take a deep dive into soil. Each issue of our newsletter for the 2022-23 school year will include an article about some aspect of soil and supporting resources for you to explore. Climate change may seem like a daunting concept. Understanding carbon movement is…