Growing Together: Open Forum

Greetings, 

Right now, I'm soaking up knowledge at an advanced soil training in the breathtaking Shenandoah Mountains of Virginia! As we gear up for the upcoming gardening season, it's crucial to focus on feeding and nurturing our soil. In most zones in the US, February is the perfect time to prepare your soil for the vibrant growth of spring.

There are four key principles to remember when building healthy soil, whether in a raised bed or in the ground.

1. Keep Soil Covered: Protect your soil by keeping it covered with mulch, cover crops, or organic matter. This helps retain moisture, regulate temperature, and prevent erosion.

2. Minimize Soil Disturbance: Avoid excessive digging, which can disrupt soil structure and harm beneficial organisms. Opt for minimal dig practices to maintain soil health. Tarping is a great substitute. It takes longer, but so will its benefits!

3. Maximize Living Roots: Encourage the growth of plants with deep and extensive root systems. Living roots help improve soil structure, enhance nutrient uptake, and support a thriving soil ecosystem. Carrots, parsnips, & beets are great for moving deep into the soil.

4. Energize Soil with Biodiversity: Foster a diverse range of plants and microorganisms in your garden. Diversity promotes a resilient and balanced soil ecosystem, reducing the risk of pests and diseases. Add a few small sticks to create animal homes, introduce pollinator plants, and add organic matter like compost and consider companion planting.

By keeping these principles in mind, you'll be well on your way to creating a healthy and productive garden.

I also wanted to share a photo of a soil demonstration from this training. This would make a great visual activity for kids. The left shows soil that has been disturbed (tilled) vs soil that was  cover cropped. When put into water, the one that was disturbed a lot easily breaks and doesn't hold water. This causes run off of your precious top soil and potentially, your seeds/seedlings. 

For anyone interested, I'm at the Mid-Atlantic Advanced Soil Health Training put on by American Farmland Trush, USDA, Black Family Land Trust and Truterra.

Happy gardening, and let's get our hands dirty for a fruitful spring!

Your Mid-Atlantic Community Connector, 

Alycia Wright

------------------------------
Alycia Wright
Culturalrootsco-op.com
Richmond Va
8043068116
------------------------------

That sounds like such an interesting training and those are great principles to keep in mind as spring is coming.

A wonderful film I've started showing my students is "Kiss the Ground". It came out in 2020, but the information in it continues to be super relevant today. It's a free movie and has free additional resources on the website which I've adapted for my students. It discusses regenerative agriculture and the positive impacts of soil conservation on Earth's environments.

For anyone interested, the website is: https://kissthegroundmovie.com/ 

Enjoy the rest of your training!

Chelsea

Greetings, 

Right now, I'm soaking up knowledge at an advanced soil training in the breathtaking Shenandoah Mountains of Virginia! As we gear up for the upcoming gardening season, it's crucial to focus on feeding and nurturing our soil. In most zones in the US, February is the perfect time to prepare your soil for the vibrant growth of spring.

There are four key principles to remember when building healthy soil, whether in a raised bed or in the ground.

1. Keep Soil Covered: Protect your soil by keeping it covered with mulch, cover crops, or organic matter. This helps retain moisture, regulate temperature, and prevent erosion.

2. Minimize Soil Disturbance: Avoid excessive digging, which can disrupt soil structure and harm beneficial organisms. Opt for minimal dig practices to maintain soil health. Tarping is a great substitute. It takes longer, but so will its benefits!

3. Maximize Living Roots: Encourage the growth of plants with deep and extensive root systems. Living roots help improve soil structure, enhance nutrient uptake, and support a thriving soil ecosystem. Carrots, parsnips, & beets are great for moving deep into the soil.

4. Energize Soil with Biodiversity: Foster a diverse range of plants and microorganisms in your garden. Diversity promotes a resilient and balanced soil ecosystem, reducing the risk of pests and diseases. Add a few small sticks to create animal homes, introduce pollinator plants, and add organic matter like compost and consider companion planting.

By keeping these principles in mind, you'll be well on your way to creating a healthy and productive garden.

I also wanted to share a photo of a soil demonstration from this training. This would make a great visual activity for kids. The left shows soil that has been disturbed (tilled) vs soil that was  cover cropped. When put into water, the one that was disturbed a lot easily breaks and doesn't hold water. This causes run off of your precious top soil and potentially, your seeds/seedlings. 

For anyone interested, I'm at the Mid-Atlantic Advanced Soil Health Training put on by American Farmland Trush, USDA, Black Family Land Trust and Truterra.

Happy gardening, and let's get our hands dirty for a fruitful spring!

Your Mid-Atlantic Community Connector, 

Alycia Wright

------------------------------
Alycia Wright
Culturalrootsco-op.com
Richmond Va
8043068116
------------------------------

That sounds like such an interesting training and those are great principles to keep in mind as spring is coming.

A wonderful film I've started showing my students is "Kiss the Ground". It came out in 2020, but the information in it continues to be super relevant today. It's a free movie and has free additional resources on the website which I've adapted for my students. It discusses regenerative agriculture and the positive impacts of soil conservation on Earth's environments.

For anyone interested, the website is: https://kissthegroundmovie.com/ 

Enjoy the rest of your training!

Chelsea

Greetings, 

Right now, I'm soaking up knowledge at an advanced soil training in the breathtaking Shenandoah Mountains of Virginia! As we gear up for the upcoming gardening season, it's crucial to focus on feeding and nurturing our soil. In most zones in the US, February is the perfect time to prepare your soil for the vibrant growth of spring.

There are four key principles to remember when building healthy soil, whether in a raised bed or in the ground.

1. Keep Soil Covered: Protect your soil by keeping it covered with mulch, cover crops, or organic matter. This helps retain moisture, regulate temperature, and prevent erosion.

2. Minimize Soil Disturbance: Avoid excessive digging, which can disrupt soil structure and harm beneficial organisms. Opt for minimal dig practices to maintain soil health. Tarping is a great substitute. It takes longer, but so will its benefits!

3. Maximize Living Roots: Encourage the growth of plants with deep and extensive root systems. Living roots help improve soil structure, enhance nutrient uptake, and support a thriving soil ecosystem. Carrots, parsnips, & beets are great for moving deep into the soil.

4. Energize Soil with Biodiversity: Foster a diverse range of plants and microorganisms in your garden. Diversity promotes a resilient and balanced soil ecosystem, reducing the risk of pests and diseases. Add a few small sticks to create animal homes, introduce pollinator plants, and add organic matter like compost and consider companion planting.

By keeping these principles in mind, you'll be well on your way to creating a healthy and productive garden.

I also wanted to share a photo of a soil demonstration from this training. This would make a great visual activity for kids. The left shows soil that has been disturbed (tilled) vs soil that was  cover cropped. When put into water, the one that was disturbed a lot easily breaks and doesn't hold water. This causes run off of your precious top soil and potentially, your seeds/seedlings. 

For anyone interested, I'm at the Mid-Atlantic Advanced Soil Health Training put on by American Farmland Trush, USDA, Black Family Land Trust and Truterra.

Happy gardening, and let's get our hands dirty for a fruitful spring!

Your Mid-Atlantic Community Connector, 

Alycia Wright

------------------------------
Alycia Wright
Culturalrootsco-op.com
Richmond Va
8043068116
------------------------------