As the winter months roll in, we usually turn our attention to other topics than gardening. It is a good idea, however, to begin laying out our gardening plans for the year ahead… and preparing the soil for cultivation. Soil. It’s everywhere, yet we rarely take it into consideration. Even though it plays such an important role in our biodiversity system and directly affects the quality of the fruits and veggies we put on the table. End-in-end, it has a huge effect on our health.
What is soil?
Soil is a material composed of five ingredients — minerals, soil organic matter, living organisms, gas, and water. It can vary widely with its depth depending on whether it’s young or stable and old. One thing is sure: It’s teeming with life. It’s estimated that around 4000 sq metres of soil contain 400kg of earthworms, 1000kg of fungi, 680kg of bacteria, 60kg of protozoa (single-celled tiny organisms), 400kg of arthropods (what on earth? Yes, it’s the critters…) and even small mammals. Whoa, there’s quite a party going on down there!
Our soils support 95% of all food production, and by 2060 our harvesting demands will be higher than what we have consumed in the past 500 years.
We are consistently destroying our soils mainly due to industrial agriculture and mono farming (growing the same crops year after year). After harvesting, we tend to turn the soils with large combines, depriving it of life. After this process, we are forced to saturate the soil with fertilizers and chemicals to make it possible to cultivate again. Sure, wind and floods also play a part in dispersing the top layers, but – as usual – it’s us humans who make things much worse. It takes half a century to build even an inch of topsoil, yet we are losing the ground beneath our feet at 17x that rate. Saving our soil biodiversity is as important as keeping our air and water free from pollution.
It’s such an important component of our eco-system, that it stores 3x more carbon than forests and other vegetation. Destroying our soils is linked to climate change.
There are many things we can do to preserve soil:
minimize our meat intake, or go vegetarian/vegan
30% of our lands are used to graze livestock or grow feed, where we often keep way too many animals (in poor conditions at that). Going vegetarian or vegan not only brings you health benefits but saves the planet’s ecosystems.
Take on composting
Separate your organic waste from the rest. And… consider taking on a challenge this winter, and building a worm hotel! Worm hotels are mighty useful as the worms recycle your kitchen scraps into compost. It’s best to activate it at the beginning of spring, but you may also do it straight away if you have a space in your kitchen (risk of developing odors if not managed well) or a space insulated from the cold, like a shed. The climate we live in is too cold for keeping the worms directly outside. Check out this great video on how you can build your own wormery and do the planet favor (and keep busy!):
Grow soil saving plants
If you are fortunate to have a patch of land somewhere, or a garden, consider mixing up your grass with clover. These attract small insects, like ladybirds, and therefore improves the quality of your soil. Or, include legumes in your veggie patch, which are nitrogen and carbon fixing: sweet peas, runner beans… delicious!
Let’s not forget about trees too! Of course, we are aware of the reality of city life – small gardens, but even planting a small lemon tree can recycle nutrients, improve drainage, and give you delicious fruit…
Another action you can take, ideally before the cold months, is planting covering crops or green manures (it’s actually a plant!) over the earth to help keep in the heat. You may also use large sheets of protective material. Keep the soil alive and warm!
Support soil-friendly agroecological farming. Meaning, buy organic and biological fruits and vegetables.
There are some great solutions for ordering organic boxes in the Netherlands straight to your door. It’s an exciting concept of linking organic farmers with consumers and introducing weird and wonderful fruits and vegetables to our menus. All without the unnecessary plastic packaging we usually get in supermarkets. Here are some farmers we suggest:
Home - Bioboer Giel
De Krat | De Krat
Bio aan huis, wekelijks al uw biologische boodschappen thuisbezorgd
De Groente Amsterdammer
Transform your balcony
For those living in urban spaces, and who are lucky enough to own a balcony (however small it may be!): there are also options for you to improve the earth’s soil. Maybe not in the way you would expect, because you don’t own a garden yourself. But if you plant insect-attracting plants and flowers on your balcony this Spring, you will help the city’s nature after all. This way, you will help keep alive the insects we so desperately need for healthy biodiversity systems.
Speak out for soil.
It’s probably already struck you how little attention we give to soil. Support charities raising awareness about soil from the ground up! Also, don’t forget to spread the word and tell others about how they can contribute to saving our soil. Whether they have a window box, a garden, a farm, or none at all. We gotta root for our ecosystem!
- Written by Michelle Prygiel