Healthy soils are important for healthy crops. But why should we care? It’s in the numbers. A huge change occurred with the industrial revolution: It took all of human history until around 1800 for the world population to reach 1 billion. Human population reached the 2nd billion in only 130 years (1930). It reached the 3rd billion in less than 30 years (1959),  the 4th billion in 15 years (1974), the 5th billion in only 13 years (1987). The 7 billion mark was reached on March 12, 2012, and is projected to reach more than 9 billion in 2050. To sustain this level of growth, food production will need to rise by 70%.

Considering the fact that from 1982-2007, 14 million acres of prime farmland in the U.S. were lost to development in a continuing trend, obtaining increases in food production yield on less available farmland is an ongoing balancing act. A core element (no pun intended) to this equation is healthy soils. Improving soil health is key to long-term, sustainable crop production. All crops – food and ornamentals – make up essential parts of natural ecosystems, which rely on high-performing, productive soils.

We often ignore the soil because it is hard to observe, but look closely and you can see that soils are much more than just “dirt”. They are VERY busy places, with complex interactions and relationships where signature mixtures of mineral matter, organic matter, water, and air define and tell the story of life itself. All life depends on fertile soil. We need soil for growing food, supporting living ecosystems, retaining water and air for plants, as a stable format for roads & buildings, as a treatment of waste products and for cleaning water. How we use the soil alters it. Soil quality properties affect what we can use it for – if it can provide for us and what we need to do, or if it can’t.

Knowing about soil and its potentials and limitations helps us to make good decisions about using the soil as a basic and valuable resource. It is the basic raw material and common link to all projects from constructing a building or street, landscaping a yard, or just planting a backyard garden. Every plot will have different soil types, nutrient levels – and maybe even different pH.

In our gardens, we can see that compost can help our soil structure and soil health, and make it easier for healthy roots to grow. However, while it helps improve soil fertility, structure and health, It is usually not tremendously high in nutrients, so it’s not the same as a fertilizer. Getting a soil test is recommended to determine the appropriate soil amendments for your yard – and your gardening goals. A productive garden requires the right amounts of plant nutrients, water, soil that is a good rooting environment, plenty of sunshine and weed and disease control. It’s a package deal, with custom specs depending on the needs of the plants in question.

Minda Daughtry is Horticulture Agent for North Carolina Cooperative Extension in Lee County.