World Soil Day - soil sampling extravaganza

We were so pleased to welcome soil physicist David Boldrin from the James Hutton Institute who joined Room to Be and guests to celebrate World Soil Day. David spent time with us chatting about soil health and the role soil plays as part of a larger ecosystem and the ecoservices it offers (for example, storing carbon, cooling, filtration and flood mitigation). We all got our hands dirty with soil samples, comparing texture and structure - learning the nuances between soil types like sandy loam and silty clay. We even had time to experiment on soil structure and erosion: two soil samples from the same field were tested, one sample was from the edge where there was margin left for established grasses and the other sample from the ploughed and cultivated centre of the field. The experiment showed how quickly the heavily cultivated soil lost its integrity and structure when soaked in water. This shows how heavily cultivated and exposed soil can more easily erode with heavy rainfall or flooding and how necessary crop cover is for soil health and structure.

World Soil Day is an annual awareness day on the 5th of December and one which Room to Be intends to celebrate every year. Soil is the often ignored cornerstone of all life on earth. Without soil, we would not be able to grow the food we rely on to survive. Educating as many people as possible on its importance and how to keep soil healthy is integral to combating its degradation.

As gardeners, as climate activists, as amateur enthusiasts, as members of the community, we all have a responsibility to keep learning and broadening our understanding of how to look after this beautiful blue, green and brown soily planet we live on.

Thank you to the RSPB - Wild Dundee for organising David to join us!