Gardening with Nature by Elaine R. Ingham Ph.D. and Carole Ann Rollins, Ph.D.

These women are two of my heroes. Valuable information here in a tangible format. http://gardeningwithnature.net/About_the_Authors_QK.html

Heroes, Microbes and Earth

My interest in the Microbiology of Soil is rooted in the fact that the health of our plants begins and ends the level of microbial diversity in the soil. It is this that creates the essence of the soil food web. You can glance at this page and it illustrates beautifully the topic. http://soils.usda.gov/sqi/concepts/soil_biology/soil_food_web.html My fascination with this information allows you to understand why Soil Geek is an appropriate title for me.

One of my heroes is a microbiologist, Dr Elaine Ingham. She now heads a firm, Soil Food Web Inc. http://www.soilfoodweb.com/03_about_us/approach.html My work with her has transformed my vision of how we can work with soil and nurture plants. Another hero, Dr Carole Ann Rollins, brews the Actively Aerated Compost Tea ("AACT") that I apply to my own and clients' gardens. http://www.nature-technologies.com/

Organisms live in the microscale environments within and between soil particles. Differences over short distances in pH, moisture, pore size, and the types of food available create a broad range of habitats. Therefore, dirt doesn’t turn to soil overnight nor does compaction transform in a short time. However, if we nurture the opportunity for microbiology to regain its natural state in a situation where dirt and compaction exist, we can create the opportunity for the soil food web to become engaged and, thereby, soil is made. We just provide the conditions for the abundance.