Keep the Soil Covered at All Times – We need a roof on the soil “house” to provide suitable habitat for the soil food web. Soil cover conserves moisture, deflects wind, intercepts raindrops, suppresses weed growth and provides habitat for members of the soil food web who spend at least some of their time above the soil. It is difficult to restore soil health and build soil aggregates in an unprotected soil. Ray Archuleta describes bare soil as “naked, hungry, thirsty and running a fever”. Don’t allow your soil to be any of those things.
