Water
And a Roof Overhead
I don’t know about you, but it seems like a lot of people are bracing for this summer to be very hot and very dry. Increasing the amount and diversity of life belowground can help plants build resiliency for these kinds of extremes. We rely on soil microbes to make the spongy soil structure required […]
How’s Your Soil Structure?
It’s always seemed to me like we have a water storage problem, rather than a drought problem, here on the island. Ask any permaculturalist or regenerative farmer the best way to store water and they will tell you, hands down, that it’s in the soil. Storing water this way requires good soil structure, and for […]
Herbs, Weeds, and a Nice Surprise
The most challenging thing about helping people partner with microbes in their gardens is encouraging a shift in mindset. Gardening is a bit like parenting – there are lots of opinions and different ways of doing things, methods are handed down through generations, and results can sometimes be frustrating. Thankfully for soil health (and […]
Water Woes
I’ve been thinking a lot about water these days, standing for what feels like hours on end (it’s really not), hand-watering veggies. Irony wafts around me as I follow the existing drip irrigation system. Why? When I initially had the system installed, the plan was to eventually wean my way off it. This came from […]
It’s Raining Bugs
Well, not quite bugs – microbes! As someone who still squeals every time I see a new type of soil organism beneath the microscope, imagine my delight to discover that these same microbes are an important catalyst for the formation of rain, hail, and snow, and are thought to be responsible for up to 80% […]