Getting The Soil Ready For Garden
This is a guest post b y Jenney Goot of Three Hearts Urban Food Forests.
What’s Soil Got to Do With It?
Everything! Its role in our survival is right up there with water. Soil grows trees for paper, lumber for building and wood for warming, it helps produce the food we eat, and fiber for clothing. It is also home to all kinds of wildlife, including various types of fungi and bacteria. So it’s really no mystery why it is critical for us to take care of the soil. It is a living thing, just like us.
Soil's important role
Three Hearts Urban Food Forest honors the soil’s important role because of the nourishment we ultimately get from it in our gardens. But before planting a garden, there is some prep work involved. The first step after you’ve found the place to put the garden is to get the soil tested. Three Hearts likes to send our soil samples to University of Massachusetts, Amherst. For $10 per sample, they return the results within 7-10 days.
Soil Sampling
When we collect a soil sample, we are looking for contamination of chemicals and heavy metals such as Aluminum (Al) and Lead (Pb). We will also find out the levels of vital nutrients, and the pH of the soil. The results for Three Hearts Richmond (THR) show that the levels of Aluminum and Lead are low, which means we can grow food directly in the ground. This is music to our ears!The vital nutrients necessary for an abundant and fertile garden are Phosphorus (P), Potassium (K), Calcium (Ca), Magnesium (Mg), and Sulfur (S). There are also micronutrients, but we’ll discuss that in another post. The chart below shows that THR’s soil is in the optimum range in P and K, and is above optimum in C and Mg.soil test reportTHR
Ideal pH for Soil
This is awesome soil, right? Of course...soil is awesome no matter what! In this case, however, two challenges were presented:
- The soil’s pH tested at 5.5, making it more acidic, and
- It was compacted and dry.
No big deal. Some extra steps just need to be taken. The ideal pH of soil in the edible garden is 6.5-7. Because THR’s soil has a pH of 5.5, slightly acidic, it means that Manganese (Mn), Copper (Cu), and Iron (Fe) may become more soluble and reach toxic levels in plants. So we have to get the soil’s pH to 6.5 or 7 by “amending” the soil with either agricultural limestone (calcium carbonate), or ground oyster shell. Each of these has their set of ethical implications. Ground up shells once had living oysters that were harvested and eaten. But the excavation of limestone is also an invasive process that can cause harm to the environment, and deplete resources. After weighing out the options, and considering the ultimate impact, sometimes we use Down To Earth’s Organic Oyster Shell powder to balance things out. The soil test report gives recommendations for the amount of amendments to add to reach the optimum pH.
Solving compacted Soil
The solution for compacted, dry, and underused soil is to plant a cover crop. Masanobu Fukuoka (The One-Straw Revolution) writes that he plants daikon because “the roots of this hearty vegetable penetrate deeply into the soil, adding organic matter and opening channels for air and water circulation” (63). On the night of the full moon in September, our beloved friends and family held a dedication circle at THR, planting glorious fava beans, delicate vetch, and brilliant daikon on the land that is destined to become a generous food forest.
Green Manure
Two months later, the favas were about 18” tall, the vetch was twirling around the daikon greens shooting their heads out of the dirt, into the light. We collected cardboard for weeks to get ready for the final step in preparing the soil: Sheet mulching. It’s a great way to smother weeds and build soil fertility by using nature’s process of accumulation and breaking down of debris.First we chop the tops of the cover crops down to ground level, leaving them on top of the soil. We call this layer “green manure” because it supplies the soil with rich nitrogen. Second, we put a layer of cardboard down so the pieces overlap enough to cover the green layer. Dampening the cardboard layer with water helps it to stay in place better. Finally, we add a four to six inch layer of mulch, either woodchips or straw, on top of the cardboard layer.We recommend doing this process in the Fall when (hopefully) the rain comes and helps break down the layers, and invites the worms, nematodes, and microbes to rise up to the surface and feast! Every once in a while, peel back the layers to see how things are going under there. Observe the changes. Dig into it a little to feel its texture. Anticipate Spring!Come and meet Jenney at Sanctuary Bistro and support Three Hearts Urban Food Forests.
Sunday, December 14: Benefit: Three Hearts Urban Food Forests
Seatings at 5:30, 7:30Price: $35 (tax and tip not included)Enjoy a three-course prix-fixed meal of compassionate, delicious, vegan food that directly benefits Three Hearts by helping Jenney Goot to create urban gardens for our community throughout the Bay area. A 22% donation will be given to Three Hearts for every patron that purchases the menu.
♥ Works with communities to plan, design, implement sustainable gardens, and create outdoor classrooms.♥ Nurtures relationships between people, food, and our environment.♥ Builds confidence and skills through peer and inter-generational mentorship.♥ Provides support to educators with hands-on activities, exploring science, math, language, history, music, and art, as well as problem solving and communication, inspired by Life Lab www.lifelab.org
MENU COMING SOONWine and beer available for purchase.To reserve your space: Call 510.558.3381 or email us to book now.