Healthy soil is the building block of chemical-free gardening because when soil is at its peak performance, it doesn't require pesticides or fertilizers.
In the forest, all the sticks, leaves, and pine needles that fall off the trees stay on the ground until they are broken down and re-absorbed as nutrients by the trees themselves.
This means a thick layer of debris, moss, plants, and mushrooms always covers healthy soil in the Pacific Northwest.
This debris cover suppresses weeds by creating a thick crust impenetrable by seedy or woody invasives, protecting the. roots of plants from the cold in winter and keeps the soil moist and cool in the summer.
Many small native woodland plants thrive in this layer of debris, including bleeding hearts, wild ginger, piggyback plant, etc.
So how can you tell if your dirt is healthy or not? Why is bare dirt so bad? Here are three ways to recreate the yearly cycles of the forest to build healthy, nontoxic forest soil at your home this spring.
Three Signs of Healthy Dirt
When you go out in your yard in the morning with your coffee to peep your yard, how can you tell if your dirt is healthy or not?
Three surefire signs of healthy dirt are:
Debris. Healthy dirt is covered in debris. Debris breaks down slowly over time, protecting the roots of plants in the winter and keeping the soil moist in the summer. A healthy layer of debris also captures carbon and stores it.
Biodiversity: Healthy dirt is covered with plants, mosses, and debris all of the time, which means it has a lot of biodiversities to keep the dirt covered at all times. Areas with many native plant biodiversity create habitats for vulnerable wildlife populations, grow food, filter water and air, and make our bodies healthy!
Mycelium: Lots of. mushrooms are a sure sign of healthy soil. Please don't eat them unless you know what they are, though. Some of them look cute, but they will. kill you.
Bare Dirt is bad.
Bare Dirt is a Big No No
There are a few reasons bare dirt is bad.
Bare dirt is a hotbed for invasive species. They love it, and they all go there to ruin it. And the longer they stay, the worse the soil health becomes.
Bare dirt doesn't provide a habitat for native bugs and birds or anything.
Bare dirt is susceptible to erosion
ugly
no food
So here are five easy ways to improve the health of your soil without chemicals and cut back on weeds and invasive species plus food.
Number One: Weed Before it Goes to Seed
March, April, and May are the months before seeds start to form on Himalayan blackberries, knotweed, and seedy weedies should be offed before they have time to spread.
Get a battery-powered weed eater - you can rip into the tiny baby plants before they get big enough to spread and go to seed.
pour boiling water or spray vinegar on them: good if you have grass coming up through mulch or hard-to-rip-out areas.
dig the roots of invasive species up now before they have time to spread
Number Two: Get a chip drop or order bark.
Chip drop is free but BEWARE! they leave an ENORMOUS AMOUNT OF MATERIAL, and you must take what you can get.
Covering bare dirt with wood material is super important; it will never be bare dirt, but it can still look good. Three ways wood is important are:
Creates beneficial fungi/bacterial growth, which is better for plants than fertilizer.
Keeps weeds away by creating a crust that they can't get through.
Keeps the soil moist in dry weather, so you don't have to don't it as much water.
Number Three: Plant something there
Planting native plants in your yard can fill bare dirt, improve soil health, provide habitat for native wildlife, and grow food.
You can add a lot of biomass in a few different ways:
Native Grass & Wildflower Seed: April is a great time to throw some native seeds around your house to ward off evil spirits. It kind of works the same way as salt. I don't make the rules here, people.
Trees.
Don't be afraid to pack it with plants. They like to be next to each other.
Native Plant Nurseries and Seederies:
23311 SW Bosky Dell Ln,
West Linn, OR 97068
3430 SE Powell Blvd,
Portland, OR 97206
1712 SE Ankeny St,
Portland, OR 97214
Get Help
As usual, if you feel unsure about how to start the rewilding process in your yard, give Urban Rewilding a shout, and we can help with design, builds, and gardening.
Urban Rewilding and Food Project is licensed, bonded, and insured, and we never use any chemicals or fertilizers; we just set nature up to work her wonders on your yard.
Contact Us Today for a consult! We'd love to come out and take a look at your project!
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