Soil-Based System

What is it?

Soil-based agriculture is the oldest form of crop production. Container-based agriculture continues this tradition indoors, often using soils mined from former farms or development sites.

The Shed’s Soil-based system makes soil anew from more sustainable, organic ingredients to give plants what they need. One ingredient is worm castings – or earthworm waste – which provides nutrients like nitrogen and a panoply of plant-boosting microbes.

Another, biochar is a fine-grained charcoal that helps moisture retention, mold resistance and stores large amounts of carbon in the soil – making the soil-based system a platform for resilient and climate-smart agriculture.

How does it work?

Plants draw on nutrients and trace elements from the customized soil. Worm tea – an organic gardening agent produced within the Shed – adds water, nutrients and natural growth factors to the growing beds on a fixed cycle to rejuvenate the soil and sustain growing for years. Energy-efficient LED lights turn on and off with a 16-8 hour cycle to complete the recipe for robust crop growth.

Why is it important?

Container-based agriculture in the Shed showcases one of a trinity of important urban agriculture approaches (see also Aquaponics and Hydroponics). These space-efficient methods are essential for feeding a world population that has tripled in the last 50 years. Shed modules adopt organic farm methods wherever possible to protect the biosphere. Organic farming boosts diversity in soil microorganisms and earthworms by adding more organic matter. It also supports genetic diversity of seeds by planting different combinations of crops.

While the biodiversity of the Shed is agricultural, we find in it the overlapping story of people and nature. Crops have undergone many changes through selection and adaptation so that they may better suit our needs.

Carrots, for instance, began thousands of years ago as small, tough, bitter and spindly roots, compared to carrots today which are sweet and fleshy. And while modern carrots are orange, their wild counterparts ranged from purple to white and yellow. It is theorized that the orange carrot was derived from the yellow variety by the Dutch to mirror their national colour.

Different crop varieties like purple and orange carrots are an example of diversity within a species – a biological richness that has dropped by 75% in the last century. Crop diversity adds to robust agriculture by:

Helping climate adaptation with crop varieties able to withstand temperatures and weather in different regions and extreme events like droughts and floods. An example growable in the Shed is heirloom Scotia Tomatoes that set fruit at the cooler temperatures of Maritime Canada.
Safeguarding the genetic material of crops which can help create secure food systems in the future.

Biodiversity also enables critical relationships among species for healthy agriculture. Backyard gardeners tap into these relationships when companion planting, which involves planting one plant species to benefit another. Plants may benefit one another in a great many ways: Attracting insect predators like ladybugs to prey on garden pests; increasing the availability of soil nutrients; creating beneficial microenvironments and more. In the Shed, you might see tomatoes planted near marigolds, which release the compound limonene that slows the growth of whitefly populations. So next time you stop to smell the marigolds, spare a thought for the rich tapestry of life that supports resilient agriculture.

What Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) are met?

What can you do?

Start a backyard, balcony or urban garden.

Learn the value of soil for sustaining farmers, communities and planetary health through the following unaffiliated links:

An overview of what makes soil healthy.

Dive into the world of dirt with downloadable instructions to grow your own microgreens at home.

Compare soil growing to other methods used in the Shed through this downloadable lesson plan example.