Happy World Soil Day!

Unless you're a farmer, a gardener, or maybe a worm, you might not be thinking of soil on the regular. But maybe that should change, as soil is EVERYTHING. Soil is a mix of minerals, organic matter, water, gases and living organisms. It provides us with most of the food we eat, filters the water we drink, stores carbon and helps to regulate the atmosphere. Healthy soils protect us from flooding, help to mitigate drought, and increase biodiversity. Healthy soil contains billions of microorganisms- in fact, just one teaspoon of soil contains more microorganisms than there are humans on the planet. These lifeforms cycle nutrients and contribute to cycles that build soil structure, which we need to survive.

Sadly, soil is being degraded globally a lot faster than it is being built, due to a combination of many factors, including urbanization, intensive tilling and agricultural processes, deforestation, and more. Yikes. What can we do? A good place to start is by planting native perennial plants. Native perennials come back year after year, minimizing soil disturbance and preventing both compaction and erosion. Their long root systems help to store carbon deep in the soil, and they have the added benefit of supporting native critters and ecosystems. Thank you soil for all you do!