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Healthy Soil For Thriving Gardens

This is a list of Evergreen Thumb episodes related to Soil Health. WSU Extension Master Gardener volunteers encourage building healthy soil to prevent depletion and ensure the long-term viability of local food security & natural resources.

Soil contains living organisms that, when cared for, provide the basic necessities of life – food, shelter, and water. Healthy soils provide ecosystem services critical for life. It acts as a water filter and a growing medium; provides habitat for billions of organisms, contributes to biodiversity; and supplies antibiotics. Humans use soil as a holding facility for solid waste, a filter for wastewater, and a foundation for cities and towns. Soil is the basis of agroecosystems which grow feed, fiber, food, and fuel. Increasing deforestation, soil compaction, and erosion factor into soil health degradation.

For additional information on how WSU Extension Master Gardeners are encouraging health soil for thriving gardens, visit the WSU Extension Master Gardener program website.

Local Food, Big Impact: Your Garden Makes a Difference

In part four of our Program Priority Series we discuss local food. Evergreen Thumb Host Erin Hoover shares how much of a difference it makes to the health of an individual as well as to the health of our environment when our food is produced locally.