The Understory
Soil and Compost


Soil

Activity - Where can we grow food?
Use an Apple to represent the planet earth  and dissect as follows - 

73 % of the earth is water, - so we can't grow food plants there....
50 % of what is left is Mountains, Desert and Ice  - that leaves an 1/8th of the apple planet

BUT we also have cities, towns  which leaves us just a 1/4 of the 1/8th actually available to grow food.

BUT we can only grow food on the topsoil of that land  - roughly 6 inches of soil

That is equivalent to the skin of 1/32nd of the apple.
 We need to look after our soil. Plants and trees prevent the erosion of our soil.

Healthy soil is essential for healthy orchards, as it is a complex system inhabited by various microorganisms.

Organic matter in soil contributes to proper air circulation and water absorption. Organic matter provides essential nutrients like nitrogen, phosphorus, and sulphur, which are vital for plant and tree growth.

 This soil of Carrbridge Orchard has been untouched for decades and such a site deserves extra care and  thoughtful practices, we can support and improve the biodiversity. 


Pesticides, insecticides, fungicides and herbicides can disrupt the interactions between soil microorganisms and fruit trees.

Natural fertilizers help prevent infections and diseases.

Mulching helps to nourish the soil, retain water, and prevent erosion.

These practices benefit the environment by ensuring that all soil processes occur naturally without disrupting the ecosystem.

Organic methods help trap greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide in the soil, reducing their impact on the climate. Leguminous cover crops such as our red and white clovers fix more nitrogen, benefiting the fruit trees and improving soil fertility.

Soils in organic orchards are richer in beneficial microorganisms, which suppress pathogens and promote nutrient absorption. Carbon sequestration through organic regenerative processes also help to stabilise the climate.

Bacteria, Fungi, Amoeba, Nematodes and more

AKA Fairy Dust

When we planted our fruit trees we gave them a little boost with 'Fairy Dust', 
Little did we know then that our Goat Willow or 'Mother Tree' was a great source of the magic too.

We hope to build a strong Orchard by looking after the six inches of soil that sustain us.

A Living World beneath our feet

Compost

This lovely resource from the Wildlife Trust helps us understand how to make good Compost in a domestic setting.

In the Orchard we agreed to compost only materials produced on site to avoid inadvertently bringing perticides, herbicides and fungicides on to our site and threatening our biodiversity.

We cut our wildflower meadow using scythes and intersperse this with  green material such as dock leaves and thistles before the flowerheads appear. The roots go to the brown bin to be broken down at higher temperatures than we can generate.

Leaves from deciduous trees go under the Goat willow to mulch but also to provide habitat for overwintering insects. 

Larch needles go onto the ericaceous bed where the acid loving fruit bushes live.

When ready, the compost is distributed amongst the raised beds to be worked in by the soil biome without digging which helps to preserve the soil structure.