Soil Health

Ramsey County Soil & Water aims to educate, assist, and empower residents to improve and implement soil health practices in an urban setting by offering tools, resources, and guidance. By working together to nurture the soil, we aim to create healthier communities, enhance biodiversity, protect water quality, and build more resilient ecosystems.
What is Soil Health?
The USDA defines soil health as the ability of soil to function as a vital ecosystem that supports plants, animals, and humans. Ramsey County faces unique challenges to soil health due to its sprawling urban landscape. Urban areas often experience issues such as compaction from heavy vehicle and foot traffic, limited infiltration caused by expansive impervious surfaces like roads and parking lots, and increased exposure to contaminants like trace metals and petroleum products. These conditions deteriorate soil structure, increase runoff, cause sediment erosion, and impact the movement of water both above and below ground. Despite these challenges, urban soils can be improved through intentional practices such as no-till farming, planting cover crops, increasing biodiversity, and ensuring the presence of continuous living roots. Planting native vegetation and creating pollinator gardens are additional ways to protect and revitalize urban soils.
Soil Health Principles
Minimize disturbance
Minimizing soil disturbance is critical for preserving soil structure and promoting healthy soil biology while maintaining optimal infiltration. No-till practices reduce runoff and sediment erosion, improve water retention, and enhance soil organic matter. Disturbed soil gives undesirable plants the opportunity to move in and take root. Reduced-till methods are cost-effective, promote nutrient cycling, reinforce strong roots, and make crops more resilient to extreme weather events, such as drought and flooding.
Maximize cover
Keeping the soil covered is crucial for protecting and improving its health. When left exposed, the soil is susceptible to rain, wind, and sunlight. Utilizing cover crops, mulch, and plant residues shields the soil, reducing erosion, improving soil moisture, and protecting the organisms that support plant growth. Planting cover crops after invasive species removal can suppress unwanted invaders and revitalize the soil. Whether in a garden or a field, covering the soil helps maintain productivity, increases organic matter, promotes a healthy soil structure, and outcompetes unwanted competition.
Maximize living roots
Allowing roots to remain in the soil year-round is critical for maintaining soil health. Roots act as a food source for beneficial microbes that live in the soil and, in turn, improve soil structure and increase organic matter, which helps the soil retain moisture and nutrients. Cover crops, perennials, and diverse planting rotations nourish the microorganisms outside the primary growing season, leading to stronger plants and more resilient ecosystems. Maximize living roots in your yard by creating habitat for pollinators!
Maximize biodiversity
Biodiversity refers to the variety of plants, animals, and other organisms that comprise an ecosystem. In terms of soil health, more diversity in crop rotations leads to healthier, more balanced systems that increase function, reduce input costs, and increase profitability. Implementing cover crops, rotating plantings, and incorporating flowers and native plants can attract beneficial insects, thereby preventing disease and pest problems. Biodiversity is the key to creating a fully functioning soil food web, which enables nutrient, energy, and water cycling to operate at their highest potential.
Soil Health Assessment
Soil health assessments provide valuable information about the conditions and needs of your soil. These assessments assist land managers, farmers, and gardeners make informed decisions tailored to their individual needs. Key indicators of soil health include organic matter content, soil structure, pH, nutrient levels, microbial activity, and the presence of earthworms. Explore these resources below to find out more about how to test the soil in your backyard and what your results mean.
Contact us to certify your farm for the Minnesota Agricultural Water Quality Certification Program
Need Help Interpreting Your Soil Test Results? Ask a Master Gardener
Pollinator Gardens
Pollinator gardens ameliorate soil quality in numerous ways. The diversity of plants in pollinator gardens creates intricate root systems that enhance soil structure, reduce compaction, and promote the movement of water into the soil. Maintaining continuous living roots outside of the growing season adds organic matter back into the soil, boosting nutrient availability and microbial activity. Dense vegetation and cover also help to stabilize the soil and reduce wind and water erosion. Consider the resources below on how to get started on your own pollinator garden.
Compost
Composting enriches soil with organic matter and beneficial organisms. It provides nutrients essential for plant growth, such as nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, that are readily available for plant uptake. It introduces microorganisms that break down organic matter and cycle nutrients. Compost can also improve moisture retention, buffer pH, and sequester carbon.
Free Compost at Ramsey County Yard Waste Collection Sites
Educational Materials and Events
No upcoming events. Stay up to date on upcoming forums, workshops, and events.
Beginning of tab section with 4 tabs. Left and right arrow keys will navigate between tab navigation links.
- Additional Soil Health Resources (selected)
- Cover Crop Resources
- Financial Assistance/Incentives
- Partners
Additional Soil Health Resources
Cover Crop Resources
Financial Assistance/Incentives
Partners
Contact Us
For more information:
Environmental Resource Specialist / Soil Health Specialist