"We owe our existence to a 6-inch layer of topsoil and the fact that it rains."

Healthy soil is the foundation of a productive, thriving garden. UCSC Center for Agroecology Research Lands Manager Darryl Wong will discuss how to assess and improve soil health in your vegetable beds by explaining recent and relevant scientific findings and how to apply those concepts in practice. He will address basic soil science concepts, cover crops and why they are important, which to use for your particular needs, how to deal with them once they're grown and the benefits and challenges low/no-till gardening techniques.

Darryl Wong is the research lands manager at the UC Santa Cruz Center for Agroecology. He works across the center's production, education, and research programs, co-managing 10-acres of production fields, instructing beginning farmer and undergraduate agroecology courses, and collaborating on faculty field research. Darryl is concurrently completing his PhD at UC Santa Cruz, focusing on soil health and no-till agriculture in California. He has farmed for over 15 years, previously owning a diversified organic farm before working for the Center.