2015: International Year of Soils, February: Soils Support Urban Life

Stephanie Rukowicz

In 2014, the United Nations General Assembly established December 5th as World Soil Day and declared 2015 the International Year of Soils. This action by the UN is meant to draw attention to the important role soils play in all of our lives.

For many of us in Philadelphia County, it is easy to forget about where our food comes from, trucked in from farms around the region, brought in by train from across the country, and flown in from exotic countries around the world. This food is grown somewhere, and the health of the soil is closely tied to the health of our food--both the quality and quantity.



Excerpt from FAO's soil infographic

Excerpt from FAO's soil infographic

According to the UN's announcement, "one-third of our soils have already degraded. If the current trend continues, the global amount of arable and productive land per person in 2050 will be a quarter of what it was in 1960. The world will have over 9 billion people in 2050, 2 billion more than today. And food production will have to grow by 60 percent to feed a larger population that will also be eating better."

In addition to the role soils play in feeding us, forests require them to grow, we use them for clothing, fuel and shelter, they play a role in water quality and management, and soils also play a major role in mitigating climate change. This video, put together by the Soil Science Society of America (SSSA), provides an easy-to-understand overview of the role of soils in our lives.

Here in the United States, the USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is working with the SSSA, and will be highlighting a different theme each month. See the table below for monthly themes. Each month is linked to information on resources and activities for that month's theme.

January - Soils Sustain Life	July - Soils are Living
February - Soils Support Urban Life	August - Soils Support Health
March - Soils Support Agriculture	September - Soils Protect the Natural Environment
April - Soils Clean and Capture Water	October - Soils and the Products We Use
May - Soils Support Buildings/Infrastructure	November - Soils and Climate
June - Soils Support Recreation	December - Soils, Culture, and People

Excerpt from FAO's soil infographic

Lets honor the International Year of Soils by educating ourselves and others about the importance of soils in our lives, and how to preserve and use soils sustainably. What action steps can we take in the our urban environment to help our soils? Here are a few ideas listed by SSSA in their video for February: Soils Support Urban Life:

• Install rain gardens
• Compost food scraps
• Adding finished compost to your soil
• Grow your own vegetables

Interested in learning more? Here are a handful of links to get you started:

• USDA NRCS Soil Health Awareness portal (http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/main/national/soils/health/)
• USDA NRCS's YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDZND69Db-WE0d1ITEiuSjQ)
• SSSA's International Year of Soils portal (https://www.soils.org/IYS)
• SSSA is offering a free PDF Coloring & Activity Book as a tool for introducing the importance of soils to school-age children, K-2 grade level (https://www.soils.org/files/iys/iys-colorbook-for-web.pdf)
• U.N.'s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) IYS portal (http://www.fao.org/soils-2015/en/?utm_source=faohomepage&utm_medium=web&utm_campaign=featurebar)
• FAO soil infographic (http://www.fao.org/globalsoilpartnership/world-soil-day/campaign-material/infographic/en/)

Philadelphia Pa and surrounding area…. Seed Starting Guide 2015

It is that time of year to start getting ready to start your seeds, clean out your pots, clean your tools and make final preparations for the 2015 gardening season. Questions ?????

For advice and information on all gardening topics e-mail or call the Penn State Extension Philadelphia Master Gardeners HortLine

PhiladelphiaExt@psu.edu or 215.471.2200 ext 116

Philadelphia Master Gardeners
Seed Starting Guide

These dates are based on the Average Last Frost Date for the central parts of the city: April 20^th. Higher and more outlying parts are a week or two later. Adjust recommended dates for warm weather crops accordingly.

Crops marked with a * are usually planted directly outside on or after the first setting-out date.

CROP	WHEN TO START INSIDE		SETTING OUT DATE
	FROM	TO	FROM	TO
Basil	16-Mar	23-Mar	27-Apr	4-May
Beans*	6-Apr	11-May	4-May	25-May
Beets*	23-Feb	16-Mar	6-Apr	13-Apr
Broccoli	23-Feb	16-Mar	6-Apr	13-Apr
Cabbage	9-Feb	2-Mar	23-Mar	30-Mar
Cauliflower	23-Feb	16-Mar	6-Apr	13-Apr
Collards	9-Feb	2-Mar	23-Mar	30-Mar
Corn*	23-Mar	27-Apr	20-Apr	11-May
Cucumber	30-Mar	20-Apr	27-Apr	11-May
Eggplant	23-Feb	23-Mar	4-May	18-May
Kale	9-Feb	2-Mar	23-Mar	30-Mar
Kohlrabi*	9-Feb	2-Mar	23-Mar	30-Mar
Lettuce	23-Feb	2-Mar	30-Mar	30-Mar
Melons	6-Apr	20-Apr	4-May	11-May
Mustard*	9-Feb	2-Mar	23-Mar	30-Mar
Okra*	23-Mar	27-Apr	4-May	25-May
Onions	26-Jan	16-Feb	23-Mar	30-Mar
Parsley	23-Feb	16-Mar	4-May	18-May
Peas*	9-Feb	9-Feb	9-Mar	2-Mar
Peppers	26-Jan	30-Mar	4-May	11-May
Pumpkins	6-Apr	20-Apr	4-May	11-May
Spinach	16-Feb	16-Feb	30-Mar	16-Mar
Squash	6-Apr	20-Apr	4-May	11-May
Swiss chard	23-Feb	16-Mar	6-Apr	13-Apr
Tomatoes	2-Mar	30-Mar	27-Apr	11-May

For advice and information on all gardening topics e-mail or call the Penn State Extension Philadelphia Master Gardeners HortLine

PhiladelphiaExt@psu.edu or 215.471.2200 ext 116