SOIL, the foundation of all life
- Anne Cox
- 2 days ago
- 4 min read
By Anne Cox, Trustee of Greening Tetbury
For many of us, our earliest memories are making mud pies or filling containers with dirt just for the joy of it or to sell in pretend shops… and watching or picking up wriggly worms.
In the post war years of my childhood, domestic gardens were still largely used for growing food - the annual bed of potatoes my Dad grew, our neighbour Sid’s bountiful harvests of seasonal veg or, up the road, Mr Cranston’s beds of dazzling prize dahlias for the flower show.
As far as we knew, soil was just dirt, a material for holding plants and water and nutrients for plants.
Not just a plant container; a living ecosystem
Unfortunately in the UK, starting with the post Second World War drive to grow more food and thanks to easy access to artificial fertilisers, that’s what much of our farmland has become, a container for plants. Regular ploughing has damaged soil structure and endangered the millions of organisms that live in healthy soil. By treating soil as a plant container, we’ve damaged what should be a living ecosystem to the point where global authorities, including the UN and UNESCO, warn that:
“33% to 75% of the Earth's soil is already degraded, threatening our future food security… “ “…If current trends continue, up to 90–95% of land could be degraded by 2050, resulting in severe food crises, massive biodiversity loss, and accelerated climate change.”
Does it matter? Some say new food technologies will save the day, but think again…
Soils store more carbon than the atmosphere and all of the world’s plants and forests combined, which means that soil is one of our most important weapons in the fight against climate change! playing a huge part in regulating the climate by acting as a massive natural carbon sink, removing CO2 from the atmosphere through photosynthesis and storing it underground as organic matter.
Soil doesn’t just produce food, it also purifies water. Soils with a healthy structure retain water, reducing flooding in wet seasons, and are more resilient in periods of drought. • Healthy soils are essential for maintaining ecosystems and biodiversity. It’s the foundation of the terrestrial food chain. All life on earth depends on it.
Healthy soils are essential for maintaining ecosystems and biodiversity. It’s the foundation of the terrestrial food chain. All life on earth depends on it.
Basically, soil is incredible! Did you know? Soil is not just a medium for plant growth—it’s one of the most complex living ecosystems on Earth…and the life in it is not just worms.
A single teaspoon of healthy soil can contain billions of micro-organisms, including bacteria, fungi, protozoa, nematodes, and beneficial insects.
Together, these organisms form a dynamic biological network that supports plant growth by converting organic matter into plant-available nutrients, stabilising soil structure, and suppressing harmful pathogens. Unfortunately, intensive tillage, excessive chemical use, and loss of organic matter can disrupt this delicate biological balance. Protecting soil biodiversity through regenerative practices—such as growing a variety of crops, applying composts and disturbing the soil less—is essential for maintaining productive and resilient soils.
Because, soil is not just dirt—it’s a living system where microscopic organisms and plant roots work together to unlock nutrients, retain water, protect against disease, and build resilience. Healthy soil depends on a dynamic relationship between plants and microbes, which communicate (yes, communicate!), make nutrients available to plants, and even "farm" each other to sustain growth and productivity.
How can we look after our soils?
In our troubled world, when we’re more acutely aware that we can’t rely on imported food and artificial fertilisers (that are mostly derived from fossil fuels) it’s vital that we look after our soils better.
On the Farm: The good news is that farmers are already being encouraged by our governments to use regenerative methods and universities are teaching ways to manage the soil to allow it to regenerate.
In Our Gardens: There are roughly 25.8 million gardens in Great Britain, which is more than all our nature reserves put together. Your garden can become a refuge for wildlife creating natural corridors and offering a variety of food sources, as in the best of wildlife habitats. Here's how you can help:
Feed the soil
Add carbon-rich materials like compost or cover crops that feed the soil microbes that make nutrients available to plants.- Rake leaves from your lawn into the beds and leave them on the ground. This avoids bare soil and feeds worms who will pull their nutrients down into the earth.
Avoid Digging
When we dig the soil, we release the carbon it has stored underground into the atmosphere, damage soil structure and destroy many of the organisms that live in the soil and are vital to its fertility, so…
Hoe weeds instead of digging them out and do this after they’ve flowered to keep the benefit of the root structures they’ve produced.
Leave weeds like dandelions, whose leaves we can eat and whose flowers support pollinating insects, and dead head them before they can spread their seeds.
Grow perennials and trees in the ground and, if you want annuals, grow them in pots or sow seed directly into soil that’s been hoed or raked rather than dug over.
If you have to dig, use a fork rather than a spade to do less damage to the roots and life in the soil.
Grow a variety of plants
This feeds the different microbial communities that boost soil structure and water retention
Leave wild areas of grass
Try mixing up your lawn grass with clover!
Clover improves soil health, attracts beneficial insects - like ladybirds - and promotes a healthy lawn. It can fix nitrogen and carbon; which isn't just good for soil health but also reduces greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change.
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