Healthy Soil and Soil Testing Workshop
at Stone Point Education Gardens
The first of 5 gardening workshops was presented on a wonderful April 26th, 2014 sunshiny day. The air was breezy and chilly but everyone was smart and dressed warmly. There was only one young gentleman that was actually shaking because of the cold but luckily it was just before we ended.
Bruno Borsari, Winona State Biology Professor and sustainability disciple, started the program. In a typical "Bruno" fashion, his presentation lead us from a presentation o information to a presentation of excitement and passion for his ecological love of protecting the environment and the importance of keeping our soils healthy. Examples of sand, silt and clay were first examined, explained and used to discuss the structure of soil (it's not called dirt). Keeping the soil safe from erosion was explored and led to an understanding of healthy soil. Healthy soil was explained as one that contains the basic combination of sand, silt, clay plus a good amount of organic matter. Maintaining that health is accomplished by the continual addition of organic matter during the growing season. He reminded us that the organic matter does not feed the plants but feeds the microorganisms which produce the nutrients that plants use to grow. These microorganisms are responsible for maintaining a healthy soil. Vermiculture (using worms in an enclosed container to transform vegetative matter into compost) and composting were presented as ways to provide that organic matter to the garden plot. Bruno summarized the information and left us with thoughts of sustainability.
Jake Overgaard, University of Minnesota Extension Educator for Winona County continued the morning event with information about soil testing and it’s importance as a very helpful tool for maintaining a productive garden. In a typical "Jake" fashion, he involved his audience by making us think of answers to some soil testing questions that we discussed as small groups. As each group reported their answers, Jake's expertise confirmed, clarified, emphasized and corrected information that the group reported. We were led through understanding the components of a soil test report by using the actual test results from a sample taken from the Education Gardens earlier last Fall. Finally, he led us into the garden and demonstrated how to gather a soil sample, explaining that following a “Z” or “W” pattern will give a good soil cross section of the garden or lawn.
The morning ended with final questions and a hearty walk back to our cars.
Submitted by Tom Kujawa, University of Minnesota Master Gardener