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Soil Organic Matter as a Soil Health Indicator: Sampling, Testing and Interpretation

Testing for soil organic matter helps you monitor soil health over time. Good soil management practices can improve soil organic matter in three to five years.

Dan M. Sullivan, Amber Moore, Linda Brewer | Aug 2019 | Extension Catalog publication Peer reviewed (Orange level)

Soil: The Dirty Secrets of a Living Landscape

Learn how to care for the soil you steward with this set of worksheets and guide, part of the Land Steward Rural Resource Guidelines series.

Gordon B. Jones, Scott Goode, Rhianna Simes | Dec 2020 | Extension Catalog publication Peer reviewed (Orange level)

Living on The Land: Soil Health Principles

This publication is part of the Living on the Land series. It provides concise information on to ensure you have healthy, productive soil. Topics include cover crops and role that bacteria, fungi, nematodes and ...

Brian Tuck, Garrett Duyck, Susan Kerr, Shilah Olson, Ellen Hammond | Oct 2015 | Extension Catalog publication Peer reviewed (Orange level)

Soil Health podcast

This podcast is part of the Living on the Land series. It provides concise information on to ensure you have healthy, productive soil. Topics include cover crops and role that bacteria, fungi, nematodes and worms play in the...

Brian Tuck, Garrett Duyck, Susan Kerr, Shilah Olson, Ellen Hammond | Oct 2015 | Podcast episode Peer reviewed (Gray level)

Understanding Soil Health and Biota for Farm and Garden

Like sunlight, water and air, soils are the foundation of life on Earth. Learn how soils link plants, the atmosphere, agriculture, food security, health, the economy and the environment.

Shikha Singh, Linda Brewer, Scott Lukas | Jun 2023 | Extension Catalog publication Peer reviewed (Orange level)

No-till gardening keeps soil – and plants – healthy

No-till gardening minimizes soil disruption, which compacts the soil and destroys the pathways that channel air and water through the soil.

Kym Pokorny | Sep 5, 2023 | News story

Instead of leaving soil naked, coat it with cover crops

Grow "green manure" to keep soil from eroding, weeds from exploding and to add nutrients.

Kym Pokorny | Jul 27, 2018 | News story

Sand, silt or clay? Texture says a lot about soil

Texture determines all kinds of things like drainage, aeration, the amount of water the soil can hold, erosion potential and even the amount of nutrients that can be stored.

Kym Pokorny | Sep 3, 2021 | News story

Estimating soil moisture by feel and appearance

This publication provides direction on estimating soil moisture by the "feel and appearance" method; taking a some soil and rolling it up in a ball then squeezing it between your thumb and forefinger to form a ribbon and noting how it appears and feels. Compare what you see with photographs and/or charts to estimate percent water available and the inches depleted below field capacity.

Oct 2019 | Online resource

Analyze your garden soil at home with the jar test

Learn how to do a simple test with few materials to see how much of the soil is sand, silt or clay.

Jun 2018 | Article