Do you know THIS about the dirt under your feet?

Welcome to part 3 in our series...

“What you may not know about the dirt under your feet”

(Heard the earlier podcasts in our series? You can catch them HERE. And remember to leave a comment!)

Caring for your soil is a simple way to join in and make a difference!

Why should you care?

Simple.

Because when you improve the soil your food is grown in, your entire world changes. 

And here’s how.

Your body is the tool you use to create your life. Every bite of food you swallow becomes part of you.

The part that makes your heart beat or your lungs breath. The part that connects the thoughts that zip around in your brain and ignite your passions. 

Your improved health makes it possible to achieve the goals you’ve set or dreams you hold. 

And the planet’s improved health makes it possible to create a better world not only for yourself, but for everyone else you love.

And who doesn’t want that?

So let’s take a peek into the world of soil microbes and find out how we can use them to improve our growing spaces.

We already know that to make happy microbes, and thereby improve the soil, we need to add organic material. By doing this, the microscopic populations flourish and they leave behind rich growing conditions for plants. 

And we can take advantage of what these little guys do naturally by growing our food here.

So now, here's the final key that will get you off to a successful start...

Don’t forget to bring the drinks. 

Remember,  we want to throw a party for our microbial friends by adding organic materials to our soils. 

But things need to stay moist so they can continue to thrive.

When soils dry out, microbial life slows to a crawl. And that doesn’t do us much good when we’re waiting for our food to grow. 

So we need to water our little friends, and do it in a wise way.

So many of us around the globe are facing water shortages. Whether we’re experiencing drought conditions or added water use in our area, this valuable commodity is in high demand.

And food takes water to grow. 

Drip irrigation can be aperfect solution.  

It puts water only on the area we are cultivating.  And only on the plants we are growing. 

(A quick google search can give you great ideas in how to assemble a simple irrigation system.)

And remember the organic material our microbes love? Apply yet another layer to the top of the bed to mulch our plants and keep the water from evaporating away.

Our microscopic friends also enjoy the taste of compost teas. 

You can make them from animal manures or plant materials.  Again, search your favorite online sources and you'll find lots of ideas on how to make them.

Then pour them down the growing rows and you’lladd another smile to their tiny faces. They’ll say thanks by creating the rich soil you are looking for. 

See how it works?

While it isn't necessarily the microbes goal to make rich soil for you, it is in fact a by product of their life.  

So take advantage of their natural life cycle and grow great food! 

Now let’s turn it over to you. 

Where can you take advantage of the soil microbes and grow better food?

How can you add moisture to your growing beds in a way that not only quenches the thirst of your plants but the hidden world beneath them?

I’d love to hear from you in the comments below. Got an ideas on how you can make your growing spaces better? 

I'll catch ya next time for another episode of YardFood!