The latest social challenge for millennial farmers and soil enthusiasts…

When was the last time you heard an adult say “I soiled my undies” and you couldn’t wait to see it?  Never?  Well we want to change that!

About a month ago, we decided to participate in the latest “millennial” challenge, and are grateful we didn’t have to dump buckets of ice water on our heads, or dance alongside our moving vehicle.  We just had to soil our undies!

Healthy soil contains a diverse community of microbiology.  In fact, one teaspoon of healthy soil contains over ONE BILLION microbes!  This biology contains a multitude of strains of beneficial bacteria and fungi that work together to provide a symbiotic relationship between soil and plants.  Plants secrete compounds that attract microbes, and in return, microbes eat organic matter and deliver nutrients to plants in a form in which plants are able to uptake them.

So here’s where the undies come into the picture…

Microbes aren’t picky when it comes to organic matter.  100% cotton underwear is just as appetizing to microbes as hay or leaves or banana peels.  For a fun, cheeky way to show the power of microbes,  Laurel Valley Soils has joined many farmers and fellow soil enthusiasts throughout the world in the #SoilYourUndies challenge.  We purchased some brand new Fruit of the Loom tighty whities to bury in our soil and compost to see for ourselves how quickly the microbes will decompose the cotton.  Based on the results from others who already completed the challenge, it was thought that to completely break down the underwear, it would take about 8 weeks.

We buried our undies in a fish tank filled with Laurel Valley Premium and Fresh Compost, in a raised vegetable garden filled with our Garden Soil, and in a windrow of Premium Compost.  Imagine our delight when after only 3 weeks, this is what we saw in the fish tank???  There were some HUNGRY microbes in there!

We will be displaying the results of our #SoilYourUndies challenge, along with lots of great information about making and using compost at the Kennett Square Mushroom Festival on September 8 and 9, 2018.  Stop by our Booth# B57 where you can have the pleasure of meeting 1 billion of our finest microbes, and even take some home for your garden!  We hope to see you there!