The Wonder and Magic of Soil

A Carbon Neutral Gardening Methodology.

I can say for certain that I have always felt a deep relationship with the soil. Growing up in Arizona the red soil and sandy layers were mysterious. Mineral rich rocks tempted me to grab them up and examine the earth. Those rusty colors are comforting and endure as vivid memories of early life. This connection to the soil developed my interests in Earth science and my commitment to preserving the natural world. We can say for certain that our land use and the ground we walk on has been mistreated. However, what I have learned over the years is that soil is not, after all, a mystery. The path to healing the soil and doing our part to manage the land toward biodiversity is easy: we simply step back and let the plants themselves run the world beneath the surface. 

A garden soil rich in Humus is a pleasure to watch grow. Plants thrive through a complex process, starting with the wonder that is photosynthesis. Photosynthesis was the beginning of almost all of life on the planet. I'll always remember my first flirt with a communal connection to Earth and all that “hippy stuff’’, the moment I realised that through the process of photosynthesis we were literally connected to the trees. The ability to make oxygen out of atmospheric carbon, and then combine that carbon with water to make its own food led me to absolutely admire plants. And as if that isn’t magical enough, plants then send carbon deep to the roots and the soil. “Root exudates” feed Mycorrhizal fungi, bacteria, and microbes in the soil as they exchange nitrogen, phosphorus, and micro-nutrients. 

One look at soil which is complex and rich in glomalin—a substance Mycorrhizae exude when supplied with carbon—I know we are going to have beautiful flowers and good food production. This soil is sticky and it holds water! Plants in this soil receive 85-90% of the nutrients they need with no human hand interceding. This is what I work for in each garden I design and plant. This is a return to the wild in the ground. With just 1% carbon in soil, 8.5 tons of carbon can be sequestered per acre. Each year this percentage grows with up to 8% in a 10 year old garden. 

I'd like to be a part of a world that wonders at the processes of the soil microbe. However, that connected feeling of wonder is interrupted abruptly when I read about improperly managed farmland, an estimated 40 million acres of lawn, and overwhelmed, damaged garden soil. What does it take to give each hand the quartz laden stone that stoked my love of soil? 

There are lists we could follow, the do’s and don'ts of gardening, but I think the simple act of planting trees, biodiverse perennials, and using cover crops when we farm is a good place to start to cancel out the other things we shouldn't do. By preparing the place we inhabit with a sense of care we give back to the way of wondrous things.