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It saddens me to admit that the prevalence of seriously problematic soils appears to have increased dramatically over the previous few decades. Despite the proximity of international tensions, the world seemed a considerably safer and altogether more stable environment when I started gardening in my teens and early twenties. Perhaps this misrepresents the reality. It might be more accurate to suggest that certain issues were once described in concrete terms, without the numerous complexities and differences of opinion which are routinely encountered in the popular media of today. Like everyone else, I’m confused and disturbed by the reports on global warming, climate change, and species decline. When I look at my original notes for this...

The other night, I became frustrated with my football coverage so switched between documentary channels on the cable network. I managed to catch the second half of a program about earthworms. Prior to final credits, the narrator emphasized the significance of the earthworm’s contribution towards maintaining soil fertility. He then suggested that soil fertility was crucial for the long term sustainability of life on earth. Unfortunately, he repeated the words monotonically and they became divorced from any reasonable sense of urgency. As a keen student of organic principles, I’ve been concerned about the long term consequences of poor quality soils for several decades. Irrespective of the demand for organically grown produce, there...