Are you a gardener, farmer, or other soil steward interested in being able to identify organisms that are present in healthy soil? Are you a composter who wants to know how to monitor compost quality yourself? Or are you an educator interested in sharing the wonders of the rich ecology found beneath our feet with your students?
The Compost and Soil Microscopy Mini-Course introduces the microbial life that exists in healthy soil and the basics of using a microscope and your senses for a relatively low-tech and inexpensive way of assessing compost and soil health.
Commissioned by ILSR and based on LA Compost’s Community Soil Health educational programming, this mini-course invites you to become a community scientist to help grow our collective understanding of our soils, regardless of your experience level.
The Compost and Soil Microscopy Mini-Course consists of an informational Soil Health Discovery video that introduces key concepts, an accompanying Soil Health Discovery Guide to deepen understanding, and Compost + Soil Health Learning Activities to guide hands-on learning.
This 20-minute video introduces:
This 22-page guide builds on the concepts introduced in the video, and also provides step-by-step instructions for using a microscope and collecting a compost or soil sample, as well as guidance on where to get access to a microscope.
ILSR develops Composting Learning Activities to assist composting sites in training their own community participants. The Compost and Soil Mini-Course includes two:
Microbe Identification Under the Scope
Reach out to LA Compost’s Community Soil Health team at [email protected] with questions about the Introduction to Compost and Soil Microscopy Mini-Course.
Connect with your local library, school, university, or community gardens to find or create soil health study groups!
Learn about the role of composting for fighting food waste, restoring soil health, and building community with ILSR’s Community Composting 101 Online Certificate Course (enrollment is open on an ongoing basis and the course can be completed at your own pace).
Check out SoilWise’s Soil Microbial Assessment Certificate Course for a more in-depth training in soil microscopy and its use for assessing compost quality and soil health (this course has scheduled offerings with limited space).
These Composting Learning Activities are designed assist community composting sites in training their own community participants, as a hands-on complement to our Community Composting 101...
A webinar introducing post-fire soil contaminants of concern, microscopy, interpreting soil test results, and the role of compost in bioremediation.
ILSR’s Home Composting 101 Guide covers the fundamentals of home composting, including benefits of composting, building and managing a compost pile, and troubleshooting.… Read More
ILSR’s Composting 101 Training Guide covers the fundamentals of community composting, including benefits of composting, building and managing a compost pile, and troubleshooting.… Read More
