There are so many critical functions and interconnections with regard to soil, it is hard to begin. I guess I will start with Artie who first bought this property in the 60’s. He seemed to know, full well, the importance of caring for the soil. In any case, he avoided causing direct harm to the soil and its biological life and he did not apply chemical fertilizers, herbicides, or pesticides. This little 8.5 acres has been, lovingly, protected as organic for over 35 years.
Working with Web Soil Survey
This is a screen shot of the soil map of the StellaLou property. Please, click on the photo to see the larger image. It details the different types of soil and their locations. This map has four types of soil identified and summarized on the left of the screen. Each soil type has a link to a full description of that type. I’ve linked those descriptions to the soil labels below:
This is just the beginning of what information the soil survey can provide. It has extensive sections including Suitabilities and Limitations, Soil Properties and Qualities, Ecological Site Assessment and Soil Reports. There is no fee to acquire the information. I will be going back to this survey as the need arises. Should you do a soil survey for your property, be sure that you save the shape file so you don’t have to keep redrawing the boundaries. When you open the soil survey application, you’ll be able to import your zipped shape file.
It is my intention to get some soil tests done soon….to be continued.