We know more about the movement of celestial bodies than about the soil underfoot .

- leonardo da vinci

Stand oUTSIDE during the tail end of winter and the local landscape is quiet , a palette of soft grays and browns — dormant-seeming , except for maybe the scurrying of squirrels or a line of honking geese overhead . Deciduous trees are largely bare , apart from oaks and beeches , whose dead leaves cling to them for most of winter — a strategy dubbed marcescence — but that ’ s another story . No new sprigs of green , no burst of floral colors . By early March , many of us are desperate for spring , overflowing with its signs of rebirth !

But just below our feet lies an entire world whose activ-

BY ELLEN GORDON

ity barely slows all winter : a vital realm brimming with as much life , if not more , than we can see in plain sight . In reality , there are more living organisms in the soil than all the other life forms above ground ! When we aren ’ t disrupting their work , the nourishment they help liberate is ready the moment the soil warms enough to activate growth in plants and to awaken seeds . In fact , “ Soil is alive . Much more than a prop to hold up your plants , healthy soil is a jungle of voracious creatures eating and pooping and reproducing their way toward glorious soil fertility ,” says Kathy Merrifield , a retired Oregon State University scientist .

Some macroinvertebrate life in the soil is familiar , like earthworms — nearly 200 species and some of the most common aren ’ t even native to North America ! Beloved by gardeners and significant in farm fields , earthworms suck in 10-30 % of their body weight daily and produce castings rich with nitrogen , phosphorus and potassium — increasing availability of these critical elements to plants , assuming the worms have enough moisture and organic matter to thrive . Then there are the pillbugs and

18 plenty I spring sowing 2024