Nurture Your
Soil
If you have ever had the pleasure, and let’s face it, the privilege of working with soil, you will no doubt know just how good it can feel. But, whilst words can rarely describe the feeling of increased well-being when taking care and making a connection to this vital life source, it is time to put words and actions to the link between healthy soils and our fight against climate change. Soil is the next frontier; healthy soil holds and captures carbon, stores and delivers water when and where required and is home to billions of bacteria and microbes central to our existence. It’s mind-blowing, to be honest. Yet now, the very substance that sustains us needs us. Taking a regenerative approach to rebuilding our soils and associated ecosystems is gaining ground, but urgent action, at ALL levels is required. It’s our turn in our gardens, allotments and shared greenspaces to restore, work with and worship the ground beneath our feet. So, if you have a little patch of soil to work and nurture, you can make a difference.
Soil & Soul
Start your Soil journey here and keep coming back to it! If you were ever in doubt as to the importance of the gardeners role in working with the soil listen to this thought provoking, informative and life affirming series from Propagate Scotland, the Open Jar Collective and the British Society of Soil Science.
Know your soil
A series of youtube video shorts from the Propagate team focusing on practical garden tasks from understanding your soil, to building compost heaps and a lot more.
Practice 'No-Dig'
From the guru of ‘No-Dig’ lots of information and video shorts on building a soil community and growing with nature. Perfect for starting out.
Compost, compost, compost
The heart and soul of any garden, when you make good compost everything else will follow. In a shared setting signage is essential. You can use this..
Grow peat free
Garden Organic’s peat free growing campaign is packed with information on why and how to grow peat free. Growing, (and buying) peat free is one of the most significant impacts the gardener can make.
Sow green manures
Avoid bare soil in the winter months; without plants to store the sun’s energy and when exposed to rain, the soil quickly loses nutrients. Sowing green manures to add bulk, and in some instances nutrients, can help. Alternatively, leave the soil covered over winter with annual weeds (young, fleshy plants without seed heads) or cardboard.
Community composting
The Highland Community Composting Resource offers invaluable guidance on every aspect of community composting, from what can be composted to methods, benefits, rules and regulations and costs.
Make leaf mould
This magic stuff makes a great weed-free mulch and can be a great peat -free substitute for sowing seed into and mixing with garden compost for potting compost.
Resources
If you need to import large amounts of soil to get growing consider contacting your local authority green waste recycling scheme. N.B Not all local authorities have one.