Organic gardening is a method of gardening that works in harmony with nature to create a healthy ecosystem. A healthy ecosystem consists of native plant life and animal populations working in balance with each other, along with non-living things like rock fragments, mineral particles and water. A soils biology and ecology are very important in creating a well balanced ecosystem, and they both have their differences but need to interact with each other.
Soil ecology is the study of the interactions that take place among soil organisms, and between both biotic and abiotic aspects of a soils environment. There is a large number of biological, chemical and physical entities that make up soil, along with many interactions that occur among them. It is a mixture of a variety of fragmented and weathered minerals, along with decaying organic materials.
Soil biology is the study of both microbial and faunal activity, along with the ecology in soil. Organisms that play an important role in a soils biology include earthworms, nematodes, protoza, bacteria, fungi, and arthropods. Biological aspects of soil include organic input, decomposition, and interactions between microorganisms and fauna.
Air, soil, and water are all natural resources that have very important roles in the ecosystem. Much of our natural well water supplies are filtered through soil before they reach the aquifer. A poorly managed soil can provide a direct route for pollutants like nitrate to leach into groundwater supplies, soil erosion into surface water supplies, and nitrous oxide into the atmosphere.
While cultivation can cause the degradation of soil, sustainable gardening practices do not decrease it’s quality. Having a garden with a well balanced biodiversity is an essential component of a healthy soil. Crop rotation and cover crops both increase soil quality by increasing a soils organic content, organic nitrogen, and by protecting against erosion. Read the rest of this entry »
