Sustainable Soil Doodle Notes

Sustainable Soil Doodle

Dust Bowl

●1890s-1920s -many started farms
on land from the Homestead Act

●Grew lot of wheat but requires lots
of water!

●1900s-1920s -extra rainy decades

●1930s-drought

●Dry tilled topsoil blown away by
wind.

Sustainable Soil Doodle

●Rows created along the
natural topography of the
land

●Prevents solid from running
down the slopes

●Steep slows are cut into
steps

●Helps catch runoff water
and soil

●Labor intensive upfront

Contour Plowing

Terracing

Sustainable Soil Doodle

●Plant different crops in
alternating rows

●More ground cover

●Help replenish nutrients

●Rows of trees/shrubs that
block and slow down wind

●Also called shelterbelts

Strip Cropping

Windbreaks

Sustainable Soil Doodle

●Leave crop residue to cover
soil

●Plant temporary cover
crops

●No-till drill, cut thin furrows
to drop seeds in

●Crops that reseed and don’t
have to be replanted

●Less tilling

●Roots hold soil year around

No Tilling

2+ Perennials

Sustainable Soil Doodle

●Alternate type of crop
grown

●Growing legumes every
other time to help fix
nitrogen

●Limestone -add calcium,
makes soil less acidic

●Green manure -crop
residue/vegetation
decomposed

Crop Rotation

Limestone and Green Manure

Sustainable Soil Doodle

●Soil helps filter/clean water as it
runs through it

●Prevent desertification - dry
regions become even drier from
overgrazing/deforestation

Why Sustain Soil?