At the last meeting Leila Froud bounced in with her enthusiastic and extremely knowledgeable talk on soil.
Leila works in the Soil Association and is a member of the British Society of soil scientists, she has a background in this field and is an agriculture and environment consultant, she was involved with the ‘making’ of the soil used at the 2012 Olympics site, just as many public gardens ‘make’ their soils to suit different areas for the types of plants they want to grow.
The best soils need organic matter, soil organisms, N P K water and air. Organic matter is the sponge to retain water; the no dig method is very good practise leaving lots of roots to keep in friable. The soil health team consists of Bacteria, protozoa, fungi. Nematodes, worms, arthropods. Snails and plants.
If you want to know more about the soil in your area of garden, go to the Cranfield University web site which will give you free access to maps showing the soil types across England and Wales, including your ‘bit’. An excellent talk with lots of questions.
The programme for the 26 / 27 year is ongoing, summer visits so far will include Holme Gardens, Kettle Farm and Athelhampton House. All trips include a guided tour.
At the next meeting, Thursday 2nd April, Maureen Hinton will be talking on a wide range of topics – patio pots, alpines, ground cover. (see the separate poster). Visitors are always very welcome to come along.