28March2024

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UN International Year of Soils and Black Gold

In 1862 Friedrich Albert Fallou, a German lawyer and soil scientist wrote:

"There is nothing in the whole of nature which is more important than or deserves as much attention as the soil. Truly it is the soil which makes the world a friendly environment for mankind. It is the soil which nourishes and provides for the whole of nature; the whole of creation depends upon the soil which is the ultimate foundation of our existence."

In 2015 the Global Soil Partnership (GSP) at the Food & Agriculture Organization of the United Nations recognized the urgent need to raise awareness and to promote sustainability of the limited soil resources and has declared 2015 as the International Year of Soils:

"Our soils are in danger because of expanding cities, deforestation, unsustainable land use and management practices, pollution, overgrazing and climate change. The current rate of soil degradation threatens the capacity to meet the needs of future generations."

"Feed the soil that feeds the plant" is one of the mantras of organic gardening and we believe the biggest legacy anyone can leave behind is a piece of fertile soil. Good fertile soil will produce healthy and nutritious vegetables and soil fertility can be improved through the addition of farmyard manure, compost and green manures.

All our gardening courses start with a discussion about soil and demonstrate the finger test, the jam jar test or the use of a pH soil tester to find out the proportions of sand, silt, and clay and the level of acidity and we finish with advice on how to improve your soil and get the loamy texture which is so important to grow great vegetables.

Using homemade compost, the black gold of any gardener, is the best method to improve soil fertility, drainage in heavy soils, water holding capacity of lighter soils and aeration as well as feeding the soil organisms and increasing the pH of soil. (drawing by Graham Tidy)

Source: HortiTrends News Room