Soil Health talk by Soil Ecology Lab/Soil Smiths hosted by the Reading Food Growing Network (RFGN)
Location: RISC, 35-39 London St, Reading RG1 4PS
Following the RFGN Seed Swap and AGM at 5pm, we will talk about the life in the soil.
The soil is teaming with microbes – if we let it. Modern agricultural and gardening practices ignore the microbes in the soil and forget that all the mechanical and chemical tools we use are a disturbance to the life within – to say the least. Should we acknowledge the life in the soil? Should we let it do its work, and can it be beneficial? Can we influence it so that it works for us?
We will talk about our work with the soil microbial ecosystem and discuss how microbes cycle nutrients from decaying organic matter to our plants and crops, how the beneficial microbes can stave off disease and increase resiliency towards drought. We will also touch on our work with peat free growing mediums, especially on nutrient availability changes or moisture retention. Let’s learn about the true value of home-made compost and and get your questions regarding best practices answered.
You are very welcome to bring your composts or soil samples along to look at under microscope!
Booking is optional, but to help the organiser to estimate the participant numbers, it would be great to register your spot via Eventbrite