Many dedicated gardeners and farmers have a close, borderline intimate relationship with their soil. They will talk about the quality of their soil with beaming pride, as if they solely birthed and raised it. Soil cannot be birthed and raised in the traditional sense, but it is a living organism nonetheless.
Soil promotes active growth by recycling waste, storing nutrients and cleansing water. It acts as a basic life source for all living things. But like other living things, soil can be healthy or unhealthy. A healthy soil has the right balance of water, gases, minerals, living organisms and decaying matter. All together, these elements breathe life into soil.
Most of the soil you see around you is badly damaged and far from healthy. A main culprit of this is the removal of natural vegetation for farming or development. Vegetation protects the soil from being vulnerable to chemicals, animal hooves, wind, rain, cold and heat. All of these factors can lead to dangerous soil erosion (like the environmental tragedy that happened in the 1930s with the Dust Bowl.)
Damaged, sandy soil in my yard from an area that was previously built upon.
One of the key priorities of permaculture is improving damaged soil quality and leaving alone natural soil that supports special ecosystems. Building healthy soil is extremely important for plant growth and productivity.
Another goal of permaculture is to use all nutrients completely, to prevent from becoming an “agricultural polluter.” To do this, you can grow a large range of plant species that use different nutrients and apply nutrients during the growing season so they are fully used.
Some key factors that affect the health of soil is the amount of water or gases present, the soil pH, the mineral fractions, micro-organisms and how much organic matter there is to break down. You can almost never have too much organic matter! Most things that were once living – like sawdust, old cotton curtains or banana peels – can decompose into humus and contribute to your soil's nutrient bank.
Next time that you walk around outside, take a moment to think about the vitality of the soil beneath your feet. Good ole' dirt is the living organism from which all other life springs from!
Sources to Check Out:
Earth User's Guide to Permaculture by Rosemary Morrow