• 
• Growing and ripening
• 
• The fall of autumn leaves
• 
• Decomposition – soil organisms form topsoil
• 
• Natural nourishment

We call the growth, ripening and eventual decay
of all life forms the “wheel of life” or the “organic cycle“.

It is this endless process that we must thank for the lasting bounty
flowing forth from the fountainhead of natural fertility.

Within this natural cycle countless microorganisms do an important job breaking down organic waste and returning its components
to the soil to be absorbed as nutrients by growing plants.
Microorganisms form nature’s digestive system, so to speak, and
endow the soil with life. These minute creatures – visible through
the electron microscope as rods, beads or helixes depending
on family – are so plentiful in untreated soil that a mere handful
of crumbly garden earth contains more soil bacteria than people
live today on earth.

As beneficiaries of our crops, we constantly strive to protect
soil life and foster it at every opportunity. Digging up the soil,
on the other hand, disrupts the microbe biotope’s fine structure
and decimates our tiny confederates. Hence the necessary task
of loosening and aerating the soil should never be performed by
digging with spade or shovel. Our diligent soil dwellers are only
too eager to do this job.

So let’s learn how to encourage the running of the organic cycle,
in order to use our planting soil in harmony with nature.