What's in your soil ends up in your belly!

The soil in your backyard is alive with quadrillions of micro-organisms. Chances are, if you grow veggies, that the same stuff that lives in your soil ends up in your gut!

We had EarthWhile Australia at our centre last Saturday for a Soil Microbes workshop so you could have a closer look at what lives in soil.

We had a peek at some funny looking creatures through the microscope!

Ellen, Bonnie and Georgina told us about bacteria, fungi, protozoa and nematodes, and their roles in keeping soil healthy, which means keeping healthy plants and a healthy microbiome in our gut.

It was great to hear that not all nematodes are bad guys!

Adding compost or worm castings is a great way to improve your soil, and get the good guys living there.

Another important thing to keep an eye on is the structure of soil so it can retain moisture and a diverse microbiome.

Adding clay can be a solution for sandy soils, but as Ellen says, "little and often" is great advice for gardeners so you don't end up moving from sandy straight into compact soils.

What would you like to know about growing your own food? Let us know in the comments and we'll look into bringing some content to the Centre -- we may have the microscopes back again soon!