SoBro Conservancy gets its hands dirty…
“Feed the soil, not the plants…” … a fundamental tenet of organic gardening
Soil building…. a project for people of all ages.
We knew that the site of SoBro’s Project #1 at 209 South Broadway started with challenged soil. This fall, we dug deeper, literally, to understand our soil better. We sent soil samples out for analysis and brought in a backhoe to explore down a few feet in four selected locations. We then consulted on soil-building strategies with experts from a range of agricultural perspectives. Finally, over the past weekend, we brought our community of volunteers together for two work parties to feed the soil in two future beds. The process of building the soil will be a gradual one but it feels great to have taken our first steps.
Follow the story of building our soil this fall through the following photos.
Cornell gardening expert Joann Gruttadaurio helped take soil samples during an October visit. Feeding our soil should lower the pH, increase the percentage of organic material it contains, increase the levels of key mineral nutrients, and break down some of the surface compaction.
Our neighbors at the Inn at Saratoga came with their tractor to explore the soil a couple of feet down. The good news from the backhoe exploration was that the compaction is limited to the surface. Down a few inches, we found well-drained sandy fill.
Targeting two beds, each about 1000 square feet, we had 15 yards of compost and 15 yards of wood chips delivered.
A small crew gathered on a brisk Friday afternoon with two goals in mind: to broadcast minerals that should lower the soil’s pH and to lay cardboard out that would smother the existing grass and weeds. The smothered vegetation will decompose into organic matter that will enrich the soil.
A larger crew showed up on Saturday morning and some serious transformation began.
Who knew that soil building could be so joyful?. And such a great bonding experience?
Regreening the “gateway to South Broadway” is the vision of SoBro Conservancy. After last weekend’s work, the entry from the crosswalk to the parcel began to take shape as a portal to an exciting, greener future for this corner. In this picture, the two prepared beds—recently fertilized, composted, and mulched—flank the inviting green path that leads from the crosswalk into the heart of the future green space. We hope you feel welcome to enter through this gateway, to feel the potential of this highly visible future garden, and to follow our progress next spring when planting begins.
