Compost & Soil Preparation

Dirt is made up of four things: minerals (from decomposed rock), air, water, and organic matter. The organic material originates from living organisms (or stuff that was once alive), and a single teaspoon of soil may contain as many as 4 billion bacteria, 1 million fungi, 20 million actinomycetes and 300,000…

By Trish Grenfell, Master Gardeners of Placer County Q:  I know that azaleas, camellias, and hydrangeas prefer an acid soil, but what does that mean? A:  While most of the plants that we grow in a garden prefer neutral to slightly acidic soil (pH range 6.0 -7.0), there are some…

The Coalition of Food Safety & Sustainability, co-sponsored by CCOF and WGA, is hosting a Compost Field Day to explore how compost can be safely and effectively integrated into produce safety and sustainability practices. DetailsDate: Wednesday, October 15, 2025Time: 9:00 am – 12:00 pmLocation:…

To grow, plants must absorb nutrients from the soil. Not only must these nutrients be present in sufficient quantities, they must also be available for uptake by the plant. Nutrient availability is primarily determined by soil texture and pH. Soil texture is the amount of sand, silt, clay and organic…