Get the dirt on how to maximize your soil for growing healthy plants.

Fall is underestimated as a time to garden.  Autumn is a great time to grow healthy greens, and plant garlic bulbs, as well as trees and shrubs.  It’s also a good time to evaluate the soil you grow in.
 
Rich healthy soil is as important for plants as healthy food is for our bodies.  It has also been found to play a significant role in the health of our gut, specifically what is called the microbiome.  To learn more about the role rich, healthy soil plays in our own bodies, I invite you to listen to this podcast offered by Dr. Mark Hyman.  Dr. Hyman is a leading functional medicine physician who is deeply involved in improving our food systems here in the United States. (Podcast Link)

Martha Stewart recently recorded a podcast with two leading farmers that included important information and tips that every gardener can work on implementing to enhance their soil.  I invite you to listen to this as well.  (Podcast Link) 

In this podcast, Stewart refers to the greenhouses at Stone Barns Center for Agriculture, a leading sustainable, regenerative farm dedicated to offering education and research to catalyze an ecological food culture. The farm which is located about 45 minutes outside of New York City is a natural oasis.  One can stroll along paths lined with native pollinator plants, while sheep and goats graze in the fields.  A small café offers simple, organic food that will delight your palate.  
 
When visiting this farm, I instantly feel healthier meandering through the dense rows of vegetables or strolling through the dirt-based greenhouse.   Enjoy the photos below to get a glimpse of Stone Barns for yourself.

With nearly 88 percent of American's now metabolically unhealthy, it behooves each of us to learn more about growing some of our own food, even if it is simply an herb box.  Learning how to cultivate rich, organic soil is a key component not only for our earth, but our own bodies.  

Do you grow some of your own food?  Share in the comments below and add any soil enhancement tips you have.