Hello, this is Jo from the Wild Bunch. Today I would like to talk about soil, as this topic often gets overlooked. We tend to focus more on other wildlife-friendly actions such as ponds and wildflower patches, but in reality, a healthy wildlife garden can’t be sustained without a healthy soil. So, let’s give the wonderful life-sustaining ‘dirt’ some well-deserved attention.
Soil is a vital living ecosystem in itself, with many components, including organic matter, communities of microorganisms (microbes), air and water pores, and minerals.
Healthy soil sustains many essential functions such as water regulation (storage and movement), supports plant and animal life, is responsible for pollutant filtering, nutrient cycling and carbon storage, and provides a physical stability and support for plants to grow.
Unfortunately, human activity such intensive farming, and pollution from overuse of pesticides and fertilisers have been putting continuous strain on our soils. As a result of soil degradation its quality gets poorer in nutrients and microorganisms, and loses its capacity to hold water. This causes food production to decrease. In the worst cases, degraded soil cannot support plant growth anymore and it can further increase problems associated with climate change such as flooding and food shortages.
You can support healthy soil in your own garden by:
- Creating compost from food waste, grass clipping or plant debris instead of using chemical fertilisers.
- Mulching which increases the soil’s organic matter and promotes the activity of soil microbes.
- Using natural methods that protect your garden from pests and diseases to improve plant health.
You can also help protect our soils by choosing organic produce and supporting the farmers who are trying to do the right thing.
If you would like to learn more about the importance of soil, the Wild Bunch, Sustainable Frome and Future Shed would like to invite you to film screening of ‘Six Inches of Soil’ which will take place on 3rd October at Frome Town Hall. The film is an inspiring story of British farmers standing up against the industrial food system and transforming the way they produce food – to heal the soil, benefit health and provide for local communities. Doors and bar open at 6:30pm, screening starts at 7pm. There will be a Q&A session after the film screening with local farmers, food producers and environmentalists.
Lastly, our next Wild Bunch gathering is on 17th October at 1.30pm to 3pm. Laura from Prickles Hedgehog Rescue will talk us through how we can support hedgehogs when they need us month – before and during winter.
