As spring begins to bloom in South Portland, we are gearing up for gardening season. Whether you are tending to your backyard garden or sprucing up your front yard landscape, there is one element integral to every thriving lawn: healthy soil.

Soil health = Climate action

Soil can be a carbon sink or source, depending on how you treat it. Degraded or eroded soil releases previously captured carbon into our atmosphere and contributes to climate change. Healthy soil, however, can sequester carbon and keep it from entering the atmosphere. If only 11 percent of the world’s cropland improved the health of their soil, the amount of carbon sequestered in the soil would offset all our current emissions of carbon dioxide*.

In addition to its carbon capturing properties, healthy soil has the power to build the resilience of our ecosystems. Degraded soil stunts plant growth and weakens root structures. Additionally, unhealthy soil cannot properly infiltrate and store rainwater which creates more runoff, carrying pollutants into nearby bodies of water. In contrast, healthy soil buffers and purifies pollutants, supports plant growth and infiltrates storm water. Because of this, the health of our soil plays a key role in building the resilience of our ecosystems in the face of climate change.

Grow healthy South Portland

South Portland’s lawns are set up for success when it comes to healthy, thriving soil. The fertilizer and pesticide ordinances in our city require organic land care practices, which will build back the health of our soil and prevent chemicals harmful to both people and the planet from entering our communities.

In addition, the Sustainability Office’s Grow Healthy South Portland webpage shares resources such as ordinance fact sheets, recommendations for organically dealing with pests like grubs, and other resources to help you grow a healthy yard. For more information, visit www.southportland.org/departments/sustainability-office/grow-healthy-south-portland/.

Test your soil

Now that our soils have begun to thaw, it is a great time to pick up a soil test and see how to balance your yard. The South Portland Sustainability Office offers soil test kits to determine the health and needs of your yard. Stop into the Sustainability Office at 496 Ocean St. to grab yours.

After collecting multiple soil samples around your yard, you just box it up and send it in to the Maine Cooperative Extension office (https://umaine.edu/soiltestinglab/). They will analyze the sample and return recommendations for your yard. The fee is $18.

* Ohlson, Kristin. The Soil Will Save Us : How Scientists, Farmers, and Foodies Are Healing the Soil to Save the Planet. New York, New York, Rodale, 2014.

Our Sustainable City is a recurring column in the Sentry intended to provide residents with news and information about sustainability initiatives in South Portland. Follow the Sustainability Office on Instagram and Facebook @soposustainability. Mia Ambroiggio is a Greater Portland Council of Goverments Resilience Corps Fellow serving in the Sustainability Office. She can be reached at mambroiggio@southportland.org.

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