There we were … undoing deposits left behind by glaciers that retreated some 11,000 years ago. Stones of all shapes and sizes dotted the plowed field. What were we thinking picking up those bits of Canada’s geologic legacy and tossing them into the wagon? As Agroecology students, we’ve learned a bit about the geologic history of this part of northern Indiana. One might ask what geology has to do with growing tomatoes and cucumbers. Quite a bit, it turns out.
That’s the thing about Agroecology … while many farmers and gardeners are mostly concerned about what goes on above ground—and rightfully so, we’ve discovered that a lot goes on under ground. An area’s geology and soils contributes to what can be grown there. Indeed, if we pay close attention to what’s going on with our soil—such as knowing the soil texture, knowing where the water table is, knowing what has grown there before, and knowing how the soil was treated (was it tilled when it was too wet or has it been driven on and compacted?), then we’re better able to respond appropriately to the soil conditions at hand in ways that will allow the soil to dance with life. The results are sure to be bountiful harvests produced by healthy plants. Indeed we’ve seen examples of how plants respond to living soils time and time again, here at Merry Lea and at the farms we’ve visited … especially after the stones are removed!