What lurks just below the surface of your garden? Hopefully, it’s good quality garden soil. How much do you know about this source of life for your yard and garden? Topsoil holds mysterious secrets and is much more interesting than it appears to be. Here is some strange-but-true information about your garden dirt.

Your Soil is Alive

There are lots of microorganisms in soil. Soil has bacteria, algae, fungi and more. Just one gram of soil typically has over 5,000 different species of bacteria present. All these microorganisms are doing good work by fixing nitrogen, breaking down organic matter and improving the soil structure.

Are Dead Animals in Your Soil?

There is also dead stuff in topsoil. Naturally produced topsoil may have the remains of dead animals present. It’s all a part of the natural cycle. In the forest, topsoil is formed from whatever organic matter is deposited, leaves, dead trees and more. It decays for years, decades and centuries to produce soil. If that creeps you out, consider the next fact.

There May be Magic Stardust in Your Soil

Star Walkers photo credit to Paul Kline under cc 2.0

As we know, meteors and asteroids occasionally crash to earth. This has been going for billions of years. The mineral matter present in these celestial objects, like other rocks and formations, eventually breaks down to become part of the soil. In fact, the carbon, nitrogen, iron and anything else found in your soil wouldn’t exist without the nuclear furnaces of the stars. Your garden exists because of the stars.

Topsoil is Historic

In a natural ecosystem, it takes 500 years to form an inch of topsoil. While some organic matter decays rapidly, minerals and related components in soil break down much more slowly. Topsoil is a valuable resource, and is generally used much more quickly than it is produced. That is why it is important to conserve the soil we have. It is better to use garden soil created from composted materials than soil taken from fertile farm fields.

Earthworms Do a Lot of Work in the Soil

Worms! photo credit to Sterling College under cc 2.0

Earthworms process organic material, turning and aerating the soil while doing so. A single earthworm can process up to 10 pounds of organic matter each year. An acre of good farmland will have more than 1 million earthworms. That same acre of soil has up to 10 tons of living organisms, earthworms included, in the top six inches.

Soil Scientists Are Confused About the Alphabet

Soil is found naturally in different layers called horizons. The layers are named by letter. Starting from the top, they are O, A, E, B, C and R. O is organic matter on top of the soil, and R is bedrock. There are a couple of variations on this classification system, but none of them are in alphabetical order.

Next time you are working in your garden, take a closer look at the soil. While you may find some earthworms, most of these other facts about your soil cannot be seen. Your soil remains secretive, but it contributes greatly to the health and vitality of your garden.

Contact us to book your soil delivery and feed your property with stardust and history.