MAKE YOUR OWN TOPSOIL

Becky Searle explains the complex nature of soil, its principal constituents and how it is structured. She also shows how easy it is to create your own

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Topsoil is the first layer of soil that Wwe encounter as gardeners. It is the top few inches and is critical to the mils lives of almost all terrestrial plants. And, because nearly all life on Earth depends on plants directly or indirectly topsoil is responsible for a lot.

In its natural state, topsoil is a thrivir ecosystem full of life. One handful of healthy garden soil can contain more lives than humans who have ever lived on the planet. The organisms within the topsoil interact with one another, creating soil structure, releasing nutrients and maintaining the health of our plants. Like all ecosystems, the soil is self-regulating.

The general rule within an ecosystem is that all organisms work together to create optimal living conditions for themselves and the other members of their community.

Of course, there are always some spoilsports. These are the ones that come in and overeat or kick over your bins at night. But in a healthy ecosystem, there will be enough good guys to regulate these organisms and ensure their behaviour doesn't get out of control.

As the organisms go about their lives in the soil, they constantly draw organic matter down into the soil and release nutrients. Worms come to the surface of the soil to feed, acting under gravity, and as they go back down, they poop out little packages of organic matter. These packages are further processed by the bacteria, fungi and other microorganisms within the soil. They are used to feed our plants and to create organic glues that hold together soil particles.

ROOTS, BACTERIA AND FUNGI