There’s something grounding—literally and spiritually—about standing barefoot in a field with a handful of real, living soil. Not the tired, crusty stuff that crumbles into dust at the slightest side-eye, but the rich, dark, pleasantly funky soil that lets you know it’s been busy doing important underground business. In the CSRA, that kind of soil is worth more than gold, and on World Soil Day, it deserves its own round of applause that leads to a standing ovation.
World Soil Day is observed every year on Dec. 5. It was established by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and formally endorsed in 2013 to raise global awareness about the importance of healthy soil and sustainable soil management. In short: it’s the annual reminder that the ground beneath us is doing far more than most people will ever realize.
And here’s the truth most folks forget: soil has a purpose. A big one. Soil is the platform that feeds fruit trees, anchors vegetables, cradles flowers, supports native grasses, nourishes wildlife, and gives bees the pollen-rich landscapes they depend on. It filters water, stores carbon, buffers floods, moderates temperatures and stabilizes ecosystems. Healthy soil is literally the reason Georgia peaches exist, why CSRA azaleas show out every spring, and why local farms can pull sweet potatoes, onions, and greens out of the earth instead of disappointment.
But soil doesn’t just grow food and flowers—it also determines where we can live, build, or even flush a toilet. Anyone who’s ever tried to build a house, barn, or septic system on Georgia land knows the soil has veto power. Counties across the state require soil evaluations—commonly called “perc tests”—to see how well soil absorbs and filters water. If it drains too slowly, your septic tank will back up like a traffic jam on Washington Road. If it drains too fast, untreated wastewater can leach into groundwater. Loamy soils usually pass without much fuss. Heavy clay? Let’s just say clay rarely rushes to do anything except hold water hostage.
The University of Georgia Cooperative Extension—our state’s unofficial interpreters and overseers of all things rooted—likes to remind folks that soil isn’t “dirt” in the dismissive sense. It’s a whole ecosystem. Their Washington County office defines it as “a dynamic body of minerals, organic matter, air, and water that supports life.” Your backyard, farm, and future building pad aren’t just sitting there. They’re breathing, digesting, processing, and quietly determining what you can and cannot build.
Different soil types shape everything in the landscape:
• Loamy soil is the overachiever—balanced, fertile, and ideal for planting, building, and water infiltration. Builders and gardeners both pray for loam.
• Clay soil is strong but stubborn. It holds nutrients well but drains slowly, making septic tanks and foundations tricky. Great for certain crops—terrible for anyone in a hurry.
• Sandy soil drains fast, warms quickly, and is great for crops like carrots or peanuts, but it’s not ideal for building without reinforcement.
• Silty soil is smooth and fertile but prone to erosion, especially after heavy rain.
• Rocky or shallow soil can halt construction entirely and frustrate anyone trying to plant more than a weed.
Soil type decides whether roots spread or suffocate, whether erosion steals your land after a storm, and whether a home foundation stays put or shifts like a teenager rearranging their room.
Georgia’s infamous red clay is part of that identity. UGA soil scientist Dr. Julia Gaskin once explained that improving clay soil is all about “adding organic matter regularly,” comparing it to keeping a fussy toddler fed. And she’s right—clay doesn’t care who you are. You earn its cooperation one bag or bin of compost at a time.
But here’s the flip side: when we don’t maintain soil, everything above it pays the price. Damaged soil stops holding nutrients, stops absorbing water, and stops supporting healthy roots. Fruits become bland or stunted. Trees weaken and topple in storms. Flowers struggle. Bees lose access to forage. Wildlife disappears. Runoff pollutes waterways. And once soil loses structure or washes away, it can take centuries to rebuild naturally. Neglected soil doesn’t stay soil—it becomes lifeless dirt, and lifeless dirt cannot feed or support anything.
Here in the Augusta area, our soil has its own temperament—steady one minute and dramatic the next. Think of it as that relative who survived Hurricane Helene but still argues about who moved the sweet potato slips. After Helene ripped away topsoil across CSRA counties last year, devastating small and large farms alike, UGA Extension agents jumped in quickly. They stressed the need for erosion control, mulching, repairing damaged earth, and rebuilding soil structure through winter. Richmond County Agriculture and Natural Resources agent Charles Phillips summed it up cleanly: “Healthy soil is the foundation of a healthy landscape. If you take care of the soil, the soil will take care of everything else.”
The 2025 World Soil Day theme, Soil and Water: A Source of Life, resonates close to home in this region. Around here, water either vanishes like it’s late for a flight or sticks around long enough to ask for space in a spare bedroom. Good soil, especially soil boosted with compost, mulch, and organic matter, is what keeps that drama in check. UGA’s Home Gardening guide notes that two to four inches of organic matter each year improves moisture balance, reduces runoff and feeds the microscopic workers that keep everything functioning.
And those tiny workers run the whole underground operation. UGA’s Sustainable Agriculture team likes to remind gardeners that a single tablespoon of healthy soil holds more microorganisms than the entire human population of Earth. They aerate, digest, transform, and recycle without ever clocking out.
For folks in the CSRA, World Soil Day is less a holiday and more of a seasonal reminder. Test your soil—UGA Extension will read its pH like a medical professional checking blood pressure. Compost your leaves instead of bagging them. Mulch before the first true freeze. Give your winter onions, garlic, and greens something decent to root into, not a compacted brick masquerading as soil. And if your land took a beating after Helene or years of neglect, repairing soil now will decide whether your spring garden thrives or files a complaint.
Most of all, remember that soil is not an afterthought. It’s history, memory, structure, food security, infrastructure, habitat, and the quiet machinery that makes most every meal and every building possible. It’s the pantry, the water filter, the climate regulator, the wildlife refuge, the bee buffet, the foundation under every building pad, and the quiet boss of every farm, backyard, and forest. And it doesn’t care whether you’re running a backyard garden or 50 acres—it demands the same patience from everyone.
So today, take a minute. Pick up a handful or two of earth. Feel it. Smell it. Taste it—just kidding. Think about everything it’s holding together. You’re not being weird—it’s official business for World Soil Day.
From the red banks of Columbia County to the backyard plots of Richmond and the small farms carving out space in Zone 8b, here’s to the ground beneath us. May we treat it well—and may it return the favor every growing season.
Nick Lovett is an independent journalist with over 20 years of experience in news media and marketing. A former writer for Aiken Standard and Fort Gordon’s Signal newspaper, she focuses on human interest stories that highlight resilience, community and positive change.
