The Good Earth Part I (And How To Know It)

Wild calendula emerging among the artichokes. Calendula is partial to well-drained, nutrient rich, slightly acidic soil. The same as the artichokes. Where it spontaneously appears—and is robust and proliferating—tells me that the soil conditions are perfect for planting artichokes in the winter and tomatoes in the summer.

Seeds are not the determining factor in the health and resilience of our forests and fields, our savannahs, our food. Like our environment, seeds are not static but in a constant state of change, evolving to fit themselves into the changing enviornment. It is the soil, not discounting the atmosphere and water, which is the primary support of all plant life, indeed all life. Living dynamic soil.

Along with healthy soil, observation, close observation, is critical for successful farming. To understand the health of the ecosystem, to anticipate a change before it is a problem, being able to take in the whole and then zero in on the details... and then plan, requires time for just observing. This is how one knows 'good land', healthy soil whether it is in your backyard, a vacant lot, or forty acres in the country. Close observation, is my primary tool. The first time I saw the land we live on, we walked the perimeter... of thirteen hectares. It was easy to see it was an oak/pine forest. There were many juniper bushes in the understory, elder and blackberry bushes in the sunlit hedgerows. Wild cherry, plum, walnut and fig trees were scattered through the fields. Along with the plentiful mushrooms, burdock, nettles, chicories and chickweed, I knew we could feed ourselves just from walking within the forest, across a field and near the house. But the nettles and chicories and chickweed proliferating in the area I hoped to cultivate told me something else... that the soil was fertile and could support the crops I wished to grow.

Chickweed growing in dark soil full of organic matter

The type of soil depends on the parent rock from which it was formed, the climate, the local plant community, and the availability of water. Fertile soil consists of decomposed rock and minerals, adequate moisture, and the decayed remains of plants and animals. It is literally crawling with life, visible and invisible; an extensive community of diverse organisms: small animals, plants, fungi, bacteria, insects, worms, and protists. The fungi and microorganisms transport and exchange moisture and minerals (and we are still discovering what else) with the plant roots to obtain their sugars.

The soil of large scale agri-business farms (and many small farms) is almost always depleted, deficient in the natural soil minerals. All the energy, moisture, and nutrition in the soil (and from commercial fertilizers) are taken up by the rapid and intensive growth of one species. Commercial farming has denuded the landscape; transforming our natural ecosystems into unstable monocultures which must be intensively maintained.

Don't let the above green field fool you. It is a monoculture of fava beans, a single species force-fed an industrial fertilizer. Just two months before, the soil was compacted and barren, plowed numerous times with heavy machinery. (Below) Utilizing this land for sustainable farming will require an enormous amount of planning and rehabilitation.

When I went looking for land I avoided all flat landscapes devoid of trees and compacted by tractors. Interestingly, rolling hills with trees were far less expensive than flat farmland. I looked at areas within forests, which hold more moisture and are a natural water source. I wanted an underground spring or a nearby river or a shallow constantly-supplied well. But I was also prepared to build a barn for the animals with a pitched roof to collect water and support solar panels. I looked at long neglected farmland, land now covered in vibrant vegetation, knowing that it could be farmed again. Beyond that... how did I know about the soil quality, what I would be able to plant? How would I know if the soil needed amending?

I know the weeds.

I learned the local common weeds in my area and the conditions in which they thrive. I bought several books (with illustrations) on the local wildflowers and herbs. I also have a plant identifier app on my phone. In combination, the weeds tell us very specific soil conditions. Each wild plant species exists where it is as a result of the amount of organic matter, the soil chemistry, the available moisture, and the amount of sunlight. The weeds also tell us about the depth of the fertile soil, the soil type and whether it is friable or compacted. A complete soil analysis made easy.

I don't want to see only field grass or one type of weed. The greater the variety of robust wild species, the more accurate the analysis. I counted five species here.

On a patch of land, only one or two species of weeds means treal rouble—depleted, worn-out soil. I want to see a thick mix of diverse weeds growing robustly on the land I will cultivate for my food. I want to see weeds which indicate enough fertility to support a plant community. A minimum of five different weedy plants will give me a sense of the soil.

In the gardens, I pull the wild grasses because they reseed vigorously. But I leave many of the weeds as the most nutritious are often the indicators of the healthiest conditions. And in fertile soil there is room enough for all. Sometimes I leave the ones which spread along the ground, providing a living mulch for our dry summers while serving as continual soil health monitors. And sometimes I leave a wild plant just because the color is insanely beautiful.

Creeping Woodsorrel, (*Oxalis corniculata*), is an important addition to ecosystem farming as it provides a ground cover during our dry summer, preventing soil erosion and holding in moisture

Here are a few of my favorite indicators for rich soil (with their Latin names). These plants have travelled all over the world and thrive where there is enough moisture, organic material and essential nutrients for a season of robust growth.

Purslane grows abundantly in the summer spreading out with plump succulent leaves if there is enough moisture. And, like woodsorrel, I let it spread as a living mulch over exposed ground. High in vitamins and omega-3 fatty acids, the leaves can be eaten raw in salads or stir-fried as a vegetable. This is a warm weather plant.

Chickweed is a cool weather plant and my favorite salad herb, well known for immense therapeutic uses. My chickens love it too. Succulent, plentiful, thick green and madly flowering chickweed indicates perfect soil for the winter and spring vegetable garden. It grows out of manure piles. It tolerates a fair amount of shade, growing under and between the broccoli and cauliflower giving me double the yield in the same area.

Lambsquarters produces abundant seeds and is a great addition in a wildlife garden, attracting and feeding moths and butterflies as well as songbirds. Its presence in the garden means the soil is rich and fertile. It is also delicious—tastes like spinach—but it should be cooked as it contains oxalic acid.

Nettles, gorgeous lush nettles, are another of my most useful wild plants—a nutrient-rich edible plant and a long standing part of traditional herbalism practices. In my garden, it gets its own bed as it preads quickly and I need lots of it. This plant is rich in phosphorus making it an invaluable substitute for the unsustainable, deforesting, packed-with-pesticides banana. I harvest it wearing heavy gloves, using the leaves for tea, soup or a steamed vegetable.

And then there are plants I leave as they are a real advantage to have in the gardens....

Ribwort Plantain (*Plantago lanceolata*)

The plantains are accused of being signs of poor compacted soil and that may be accurate—as exemplified by the above photo. BUT... a recent 2025 study in Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment found that incorporating plantain into grazing land and cropland increased the mineral content of the growing food as well as the yield, drought tolerance, and biodiversity.

I have never set out to plant a grass lawn, though I have dug up a few. However, I am all in favor of letting weeds take over as a thick green groundcover. Our duck yard is a collection of weeds, weeds which found their way to a rich, manure-fed area-an odd collection of amaranth, chicory, dandelion, yellow dock, common plantain and lamb's quarters. The leaves and seeds are a year-round source of food for our poultry. Additionally, the weeds grow thick and fast on the continual supply of duck shit as their nutrition, which otherwise might become both overwhelming and a health issue.

When I decided to buy land, I made a choice before I began my search. I no longer had the time, physical energy or interest to change the soil conditions to fit a specific crop. That ship sailed with climate change. I looked in the hill country where I hoped future flooding would not affect me. I looked in an area where I could grow food for my family and for profit year round and within a vibrant forest ecosystem (Ironically, it was both easier and cheaper than buying flat denuded farmland.) And I decided to pay close attention to the existing plants, letting them lead me to good earth, making my work so much simpler.

And it has.

Next time in The Good Earth. Part II: How to begin as well as finding the right balance.

Appendix

Here are three sites with which to begin to know the weeds: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/372629720_Weeds_as_Bioindicators_A_Farmer's_Field_Guide

https://wssa.net/2016/01/weeds-as-soil-indicators/

https://fairfaxgardening.org/wp-content/webdocs/ref/Indicator%20Weeds%20Table.pdf

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GOOD EARTH PART I <em> (and how to know it)</em>

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