Episode 73: What's Actually In Your Soil & Why It Matters

One teaspoon of healthy soil holds more living organisms than there are people on Earth. Meagan and Dagny break down the science of what’s actually in your garden soil — the bacteria, fungi, nematodes, and mycorrhizal networks doing work you’ve never given them credit for. They cover what tilling and over-fertilizing actually do to soil biology, what the research actually says (vs. what went viral), and a practical soil health audit any gardener can run this weekend.Mentioned in this episode:Soil food web research: Dr. Elaine Ingham, USDA Natural Resources Conservation ServiceGlomalin discovery: Dr. Sara Wright, USDA (1996)No-dig gardening: Charles DowdingMycorrhizal network research: Toby Kiers lab, Vrije Universiteit AmsterdamSupport our podcast and get exclusive bonus content: patreon.com/c/GardenGirlsPodcast Our main accounts:@meggrowsplants @thecottagepeach Listen on Spotify:podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-garden-gir… us on Apple Podcasts:podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/garden-girls-pod… us on Instagram:instagram.com/gardengirlspod/Follow us on TikTok:tiktok.com/@gardengirlspod***Links***Meg's Planting Calendar:meg-grows-plants.myshopify.com/collections/all… Gardening:shop.epicgardening.com/GARDENGIRLSCode for 5% off!GARDENGIRLSRenee's Garden Seeds: sh2543.ositracker.com/398693/9151*These codes are affiliate links that we receive commissions from and help to support the podcast!*