The Soil Eats First

Gardening is often seen as plant-focused. We watch our plants closely — how they grow, what they need, when they’re struggling. It’s a fun, tactile, and interactive experience that I truly enjoy. But I’ve come to believe that our plants are actually translating the language of the soil.

Like a healthy sourdough culture, your soil should be bubbling with life.

As small-scale gardeners, we’ve got a unique advantage: it doesn’t take much to build and maintain exceptional soil health. So how do we do that in a responsible, holistic way that produces high-quality, great-tasting food?

The soil eats first.

Annual vegetables are greedy. They sprint through their lifecycle, pulling every bit of nutrition they can to set seed. And when we grow the same crops in the same soil year after year, we’re pulling the same nutrients over and over again. Eventually, the soil gets tired. The plants start to struggle. Pests show up. Yields drop. It’s a cycle.

Some folks try to fix this by buying new soil every season. But that’s not sustainable — and it’s not necessary.

Healthy plants come from healthy soil. And soil isn’t just dirt — it’s alive. It’s a whole ecosystem of bacteria, fungi, protozoa, and nematodes. These organisms break down organic matter, unlock nutrients, and work with plant roots to keep everything thriving. Mycorrhizal fungi, for example, extend the reach of root systems and help with nutrient exchange.

To keep that system going, we’ve got to feed it — not just when we’re planting, but all year long.

I’m not a microbiologist, but sometimes I pretend to be one and, like plants, soil needs to eat. The nutrients we add to the soil aren’t always in a form plants can use. That’s where the microbes come in. They digest and transform those nutrients into forms that plants can actually absorb.

It’s kind of like our own gut microbiome — the more diverse and well-fed it is, the better everything functions. Soil is the same way. It thrives on a variety of inputs and nutrients. Trace elements help with enzymatic functions, disease resistance, and overall plant vitality.

Macronutrients:

Carbon (C): Forms the backbone of all organic molecules, driving microbial activity and soil structure through organic matter.

Nitrogen (N): Essential for vegetative growth and chlorophyll production, and fuels microbial protein synthesis in soil.

Phosphorus (P): Supports root development and energy transfer (ATP), while enhancing microbial activity and mycorrhizal associations.

Potassium (K): Regulates water balance, enzyme activation, and stress resistance in plants, and improves soil cation exchange capacity.

Calcium (Ca): Strengthens cell walls and root tips, and improves soil structure by flocculating clay particles.

Sulfur (S): Vital for amino acid and enzyme formation, and supports microbial breakdown of organic matter.

Micronutrients:

Iron (Fe): Crucial for chlorophyll synthesis and electron transport, and supports microbial respiration in soil.

Manganese (Mn): Activates enzymes for photosynthesis and nitrogen metabolism, and aids microbial oxidation-reduction reactions.

Copper (Cu): Facilitates lignin synthesis and reproductive growth, and influences microbial enzyme systems.

Zinc (Zn): Regulates hormone production and enzyme function, and supports microbial synthesis of growth-promoting substances.

Boron (B): Essential for cell wall formation and sugar transport, and enhances microbial activity in organic matter decomposition.

Chlorine (Cl): Involved in osmosis and ionic balance, and contributes to disease suppression in soil.

Molybdenum (Mo): Enables nitrogen fixation and nitrate reduction, especially important for legumes and nitrogen-fixing microbes.

Nickel (Ni): Required for urease activity and nitrogen metabolism, and supports microbial processing of organic nitrogen.

Conventional fertilizers often focus on synthetic macronutrients. They can give you fast growth, but they don’t support the soil microbiome or micronutrient balance. Over time, that leads to more pest pressure, weaker plants, and declining soil health.

A regenerative approach — compost, mineralization, cover crops, worm castings, microbial foods — builds a soil system that can take care of itself.

Composting: Start Where You Are

This all starts with how we handle our own waste. If you’ve got the space, compost your kitchen scraps, garden waste, and carbon-rich materials from the yard. Search around your area, there is often regional composting facilities that offer free or low-cost compost — just ask about the origin of the feedstock.

If you’re in a smaller space:

• A worm tower can handle shredded paper and coffee grounds and give you beautiful castings.
• Benchtop electric composters break down food quickly and produce a nice immature product.
• Together, those two systems can give you a clean, compact way to make your own soil amendments — even in an apartment or small backyard.

Fall and Spring: Feeding the Soil in Seasons

In the fall, after the summer crops are done, I:

• Break down the plants
• Add compost and meals (bone, blood, feather, fish)
• Sheet mulch with straw

Mulch protects the soil, holds moisture, and slowly feeds microbes as it breaks down. If you’re lucky, the rain keeps it moist. If not, a little irrigation helps.

In early spring, when the days start warming up, I:

• Add more compost and meals
• Cast cover crop seeds — legumes, clover, rye — to fix nitrogen and improve soil structure
• Sheet mulch again as the cover crop nears seed production (this keeps nitrogen in the roots)

Micronutrients are trickier. Soil testing helps, but I know that’s not always in the cards. I’ve had good luck with foliar sprays from Agrow Synergy — they’re an easy, low-input way to get bioavailable micronutrients and minerals into the system.

When we feed the soil, the soil feeds our plants — and ultimately, us. By investing in soil health, backyard gardeners can grow more food with better flavor and nutrition, season after season. The key is to think of soil as a living system — and to nurture it with the same care we give our plants.