By Victoria Torley

The tree has finally done it! It has produced lemons!

I have to admit that this is a bit of a shock as the tree is 12 years old and has never before shown any enthusiasm when it came to bearing fruit, but it has evidently found its stride. The woman who planted the fruit trees hadn’t much bothered with where she planted them or how and they were struggling to survive. When we moved in, I checked the soil around the seedlings. Clay! No wonder the poor things hadn’t grown. We hastily dug them and replanted them in an area with lighter ‘soil’ – I would never call clay ‘soil’ – and they began to take off.

So what was in the new soil that wasn’t in the clay? After all, clay is mineral-rich and all plants need minerals. The problem? Those minerals are hard for plants to access and use.

It all boils down to microbes and their complex management of soil. Microbes process organic matter in the soil and release it in forms plant roots can use. And what are ‘microbes?’ They are fungi, bacteria, algae and other organisms. In rich soil, there can be millions of microbes in a teaspoon of soil.

The area around the roots of plants are extraordinarily rich in microbes. Mycorrhiza, for example, bind to the roots and use the sugars and amino acids the roots give off to produce other substances the roots need and absorb. It’s an interesting relationship taking place all the time right under our feet. It’s a relationship vital for all plant life, and, by extension, all life.

What else are those handy microbes doing? They are engaged in bioremediation, breaking down contaminants in the soil and helping cleanse toxins released into the earth from things like oil, gasoline or chemical spills restoring the soil to health.

And how to we help sustain this relationship? We do it every time we cut the grass and let it compost with vegetable scraps from the kitchen. We do it when we fertilize gardens with composted cow or horse manure.

Remember that these microbes have to eat to grow so it is our job as good gardeners to make sure they have a good diet. When the microbes eat well, everything you plant will be healthier, more resistant to insects, disease and environmental stresses. The end result? You will have a better harvest.

Now go out and feed those microbes!




Well, that should actually be “flowers” for the week. I am not usually given to cutting flowers for the house, but these really called to me. Three types of orchid, all lovely shades of purple and all terrestrial. Can you name them?




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For more information on this article of request for information about gardening, Ms. Victoria Torley, gardener columnist, can be reached at victoriatorley1@gmail.com

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