Bury Your Underwear in Your Garden to Test How Healthy the Soil Is
Here’s an easy way to check if your garden soil has a healthy population of bacteria, worms, and more: Bury a pair of 100% cotton underwear and wait two months.
The Soil Conservation Council of Canada recently put forward this idea for National Soil Conservation Week . To join, dig an underwear-sized hole about six inches deep, spread out the underwear and cover it with earth. If you leave the belt sticking out of the ground, it will be easier to find at the end of the experiment. You can also check your experiment with a checkbox.
Soil Council asks you to post your results on social media tagged #SoilYourUndies. Foolish aside, this is a pretty good project to see what your dirt looks like and talk to (or just experiment) with the kids about the nutrient cycle in your garden. If the laundry doesn’t disintegrate in two months, add some compost, manure, or fertilizer to improve the soil.