Boston Flora

Tag: healthy soil

  • Tuesday, December 4, 1:30 pm – 2:30 pm – Backyard Carbon Sequestration: How You Can Help Webinar

    Landscapers and gardeners have long known that soil is not simply the stuff that props up plants. But not everyone knows that organic and native plant gardening practices can help mitigate climate change by building and protecting soil health.

    In this December 4 Ecological Landscape Alliance free webinar presentation at 1:30 pm, Adrian Ayres Fisher will review the characteristics of healthy soil, how plants and soil life work together to store carbon below ground, and how gardeners and landscapers can make a difference in the fight against climate change.

    Adrian Ayres Fisher, a Chicago-area native, is Sustainability Coordinator at Triton College in River Grove, Illinois. Among other duties, she is in charge of two large rain gardens and a small prairie area that is certified as a Monarch Waystation. She is active in Chicago Wilderness initiatives, the West Cook Chapter of Wild Ones, and volunteers with the Plants of Concern rare-plant-monitoring program in Cook County Forest Preserves. She has trained and volunteered as a University of Illinois Extension Master Gardener and was the native plant buyer for an independent nursery. Her backyard pollinator reserve has been included in local garden walks. Ms. Ayres blogs at http://ecologicalgardening.net and is a featured writer at http://Resilience.org.

    To register, visit https://www.ecolandscaping.org/event/webinar-backyard-carbon-sequestration-how-you-can-help/

  • Saturday, April 25, 10:00 am – 12:00 noon – Healthy Soil: Testing and Amending Your Garden Soil

    Healthy soils are essential for raising healthy crops. In this Saturday, April 25 workshop at Powisset Farm, 39 Powisset Street in Dover, you will learn the basics of soil composition, microbial life and structure as they relate to the home garden, as well as the nitty gritty on soil testing, amendments and fertilizers needed to maintain crop health each season and build your garden’s soil over time. An annual soil test is invaluable for assessing the quality and nutrient status of your soil so in this hands-on workshop you will learn how to take a representative soil sample, test soil pH, and compaction. We’ll go over the types of soil tests available and how to interpret results for vegetable crops with a soil test in hand. Walk away with a free soil test from the UMass Soil Lab and the skills needed to take your own samples. Instructor Katie Campbell-Nelson leads this Mass Aggie Seminar Series workshop, and the fee is $50. Register online at https://extension.umass.edu/fruitadvisor/mass-aggie-seminars-2015#program%20details.

  • Tuesday, October 30, 6:45 pm – Soil Health: From the Bottom Up

    The Norwood Evening Garden Club will host Tom Akin, Conservation Agronomist for the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, tomorrow, October 30, at the Carriage House of the First Baptist Church, 71 Bond Street, Norwood.

    Mr. Akin will discuss the characteristics of healthy soil, its importance in gardening and how to improve your soil’s health. He will also cover how to interpret soil test results, how to optimize plant nutrition and plant health, organic matter in the soil and why you should sell your rototiller.  The public is invited to attend. A $5.00 donation is requested and includes refreshments. For more information call 781-769-3854.

    Tom Akin has been the Conservation Agronomist and Grazing Lands Coordinator with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service in Amherst, MA since 2003. He is passionate about the environment, soil health, composting and helping farmers and gardeners improve their soil’s health. Prior to working for NRCS, Tom was assistant superintendent and internship coordinator at the Arnold Arboretum in Jamaica Plain. He has also worked as an Extension educator with the University of Massachusetts and for the Peace Corps in the Central African Republic.