Healthy soil increases edible and flower yields, minimizes pests and diseases and uses less water.

In this class, Lori “CompostGal” Caldwell, will guide you in the ways you can improve soil health in your garden to support what you grow. She will cover topics including soil fertility, plant succession, levels of organic matter, watering and irrigation and the biodiversity of soil life. You will learn how to maintain a stable pH and create the soil structure that will hold and release nutrients to plants. At the end of the class you will have knowledge of healthy soil building, water retention and techniques to increase yields and extend your growing season in your own garden. Throughout the class, Lori will invite questions from students specific to their gardens.

Lori Caldwell, a frequent Ecology Center Classroom instructor, is Owner/Operator of CompostGal: Consulting, Landscaping & Education. She is an avid gardener and her mission is “To connect people to the soil and all that it provides”. A Master Composter and Bay-Friendly Qualified Landscape professional, she has been teaching sustainable gardening classes all over the Bay Area since 2007.