Final report for FNC23-1374
Project Information
I am Glenda George of Baby Greens Family Farm and I have been growing food organically for approximately 8 years while homeschooling my sons for just as long. We've expanded into microgreens in the past year and now we've entered into a partnership with Pastor Allen Smith Jr. and his church family, Peter Rock Church of God in Christ to farm on approximately an acre of land in Gary, Indiana. I've taught gardening classes in corporate spaces to encourage new growers and help current growers improve their processes. I'm also a teacher for the Junior Master Gardener program sponsored by the Gary Food Council to engage children academically and practically in the field of gardening/farming. I am always seeking innovative and cost effective ways to remain an organic grower no matter our size. I am an active member of the Gary Food Council which allows me to be a food advocate with others dedicated to ending food related injustices throughout Gary, Indiana.
Baby Green's new and exciting partnership with Pastor Smith's church allows us to take the organic practices onto a much larger scale. Our goal is to remain intentional and positively impactful to people receiving the food we grow and the land we're growing the food upon.
Pastor Allen Smith Jr. since his childhood has grown food, which he learned alongside his father who was a sharecropper in Mississippi during the 1920s and 30s. He's now expanding his personal love for growing food to his church family as a way to increase fellowship, conduct community outreach, rid Gary of food deserts and expand educational opportunities to those interested in a variety of farm related methods. Pastor Smith, in partnership with Baby Greens, is dedicated to developing a space that encourages more farming within Gary. Projects centered on a community outreach approach is already a part of their church mission and now they are expanding into growing food and creating a space for education and research for projects like this one that will benefit the residents of Gary. Pastor Smith has financial and record-keeping experts that can help us maintain solid data as we progress through this project. He also has the space for us to host our events and store the equipment. Our team will also research the history of the spaces of the growers/farmers that join in on the project.
Northwest Indiana has a long history of heavy industry that has negatively impacted much of the soil within many communities along Lake Michigan. We grow in Gary and we want to strengthen the biome of our soil on a microbial level and be more discerning with the soil amendments we select. Overall, we’d like to stop guessing as to what our soil needs, do more than yearly soil tests, and build more effective composting and sustainable practices. We focused our questions on (1) can frequent soil analysis on a microbial level help to quickly and accurately mitigate issues, (2) can frequent soil analysis reduce the cost to improve soil health, (3) can we find and share the existence of trends of contaminants (that are not indigenous to the region, i.e. lead and arsenic) that we can find creative solutions found in nature to remove, (4) can we take the Soil Food Web Course and create comprehensive protocols for local farmers that can speed the process of creating healthier soil, and (5) can our testing results aid in educating the community on the health benefits derived from our nutrient dense foods thereby promoting the consumption of local and organically/naturally grown foods.
We are farmers that utilize organic practices and we’re seeking to increase our knowledge as we expand our farming operation in partnership with another farm. We seek to be educated on a deeper level of regenerative growing methods that will give us actionable scientific information as often as we need it. By taking Dr. Elaine Ingham’s Soil Food Web Course, we will learn comprehensive methods to restore and invigorate our soil taught in ways that growers can do themselves. Her course can help us achieve our goals while placing us in the position to offer the same beneficial methods to other local socially underrepresented growers. We believe having this skill set of literally knowing the health of the soil that feeds the food we grow encourages more people to grow in spaces such as Gary that is a food desert. This will also help shift the negative perception regarding the safety of our locally grown foods throughout the region.
Educational Objective 1: Attend Dr. Elaine Ingham's Soil Food Web School as soon as the funds are released in 2023. These courses are intended to "dramatically accelerate soil regeneration projects by focusing on the soil biome. This can boost the productivity of farms, provide super-nutritious foods, protect and purify waterways, and reduce the effects of Climate Change. No background in farming or biology is required for our Foundation Courses. Classes are online & self-paced, and students are supported by highly-trained Soil Food Web School mentors." http://soilfoodweb.com/about Upon completion we will be certified as soil food web technician, consultant capable of testing our soil as well as others.
Educational Objective 2: Take initial soil samples (planting spaces and existing compost piles) from the four farms initially involved in our project. Develop an action plan that addresses the inadequacies in the current soil that will rebuild the soil's biome over the course of three years. Review each farm's composting methods and make the necessary changes. Create and implement testing schedules for the farms.
Educational Objective 3: Conduct ongoing courses to community farmers so that they can take the same steps to develop regenerative soil and compost. Collectively discuss trends, best practices and results that are unique to our urban spaces.
Cooperators
- - Producer
Research
The main part of the project is for me to conduct microscopic testing on soil samples collected from the farmers participating in the project. Secondarily, I am sharing key points of what I am learning with our farming collective so they will understand their soil’s microbial biome and the benefits of the compost teas we suggest they utilize. Essentially, at the heart of my project is to educate farmers and advocate for changes that improve and expand our soil health and food web.
Microscopic examination of our soil and compost provides an integral component for our local farmers who need immediate, frequent and consistent soil analysis results. With completion of the course we will also be empowered to build effective responses to take the necessary remedial actions that will arise within the soil while collecting data that could help address the historical impact of industry to the region. This, coupled with Dr. Ingham’s specific methods for aerated compost development, will allow us to create self-sustaining healthy soil biomes. Additionally, microscopic soil analysis allows us to spend money on the correct soil amendments that will have the greatest impact on the soil.
As Certified Soil Food Web Lab-Tech and Consultants we will create a laboratory space that houses the microscopes, beakers, testing tools, compost tea brewers, compost tea sprayers, thermometers, compost covers and other tools specifically recommended by Dr. Elaine Ingham. Eventually we will be able to open ourselves to additional lab related opportunities while supporting this initiative in our community. For example, we want to take our data regarding the contaminants found in the soil and and find partners interested in determining if there are microbial solutions that are capable of ridding the soil of those specific contaminants, i.e. the fungi, Pestalotiopsis microspora, has been found to eat plastic.
April-May 2025 Initial Visit with the Growers:
The following initial questionnaire responses were collected from growers while we visited their property and some were initially conducted over the phone. A general overview of the project was discussed, responses compiled, and questions from the growers were answered. A one square foot plot was selected to be the primary spot for this project. The soil samples were dug up to a depth of 20-30 cm from 3-4 locations within the plot and put into one bag. Here are the collective results:
Grower Numbers |
101 |
102 |
103 |
104 |
105 |
Number of years growing (0-1,2-4,5+) |
3 |
1 |
5 |
1 |
2 |
Where Is your farm? (rural, suburb, urban) |
Urban |
Urban |
Urban |
Suburb |
Rural |
What do you grow in?- |
Raised beds |
Raised beds |
In Ground |
In Ground |
Raised beds |
Do you add amendments? |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
If yes, how often? |
3 times/year |
2 times/year |
|||
Have you had soil testing? |
No |
No |
Yes |
No |
No |
Have you intentionally done anything re the microbes? |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
How do you water crops? |
Sprinkler/hose |
Hose |
Hose |
Watering can |
sprinkler |
What are the pests you typically see that are causing problems? |
Earwigs, Japanese beetles |
Squash bugs, ants, earwigs |
Groundhog, squash bugs |
Ants, slugs, white moths |
Aphids cabbage worms, deer |
Rate your weed issues (low, medium, extensive) |
Medium |
Low |
Medium |
Extensive |
Medium |
How would you describe your soil texture? |
Compost (black loam) |
Silty loam (in ground is clay loam) |
Silty clay loam with compost |
Sandy clay loam with compost |
Silty loam |
What do you cover your soil with? |
Mulch |
Nothing |
Vinyl row covers and Mulch |
Mulch |
Vinyl row covers and mulch |
Do you compost? |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Back at the Lab:
Each bag of the samples taken were gently mixed together before extracting 1 gram of soil for testing. The extracted soil was diluted with water and prepped for examination under the microscope. To find the presence of microbes a 1:5 dilution (Volume of sample/Total volume in test tube = 1ml sample/5 ml total). Elaine R. Ingham, BA, MS, PhD, Lecture 12 Preparing Dilution, Soil Foodweb School LLC, www.soilfoodweb.school.
Microscope results:
In all of the samples the presence of bacteria was found. Growers 101,103 and 105 had bacteria presence that covered 75% of the field of view on the microscope at 1:5 dilution so that we diluted from 1:5 to 1:100. This same group had fungi present with 5-7 strands located in the field of view. No other microbes were found for any of the samples provided by the growers.
Grower Number 1 |
101 |
102 |
103 |
104 |
105 |
Bacteria |
ᯈ 600/g soil |
ᯈ 250/g soil |
ᯈ 1200/soil |
ᯈ 800/g soil |
ᯈ 300/g soil |
Fungi |
2-3 strands |
Not Present |
5-6 strands |
Not Present |
3-4 strands |
Nematodes |
Not Present |
Not Present |
Not Present |
Not Present |
Not Present |
Protozoan |
Not Seen |
Not Seen |
Not Seen |
Not Seen |
Not Seen |
Amoeba |
Not Seen |
Not Seen |
1 Present |
Not Seen |
Not Seen |
Microarthropods, Algae and Pollen |
Not Seen |
Not Seen |
Not Seen |
Not Seen |
Not Seen |
Mineral Matter (material with jagged edges) |
Not Seen |
Possibly Seen in the ground level |
Possibly Seen |
Not Seen |
Possibly Seen |
*It is important to note that we’re still learning how to identify and count the presence of microbes in the soil. Thus we gave ranges where we could calculate and put “possibly present” because we’re mostly sure we identified the microbes correctly BUT there’s a possibility that we didn’t.
Initial General Observations: All of the soil tested seemed to be overall low in microbial life with little variety of microbes present. The growers that don’t have consistent covering of their top layer of soil had extremely lower presence of bacteria and fungi microbes. Grower 103 had white fungi strands present on their mulch, which is a good sign.
The microscope results were shared with each farmer and then we discussed a plan of action for the season for each grower summarized below. The plans basically consists of adjustments and recommendations to encourage the growth of microbes without causing great changes to the growers routines so that they will find it easier to execute the adjustments.
Suggested Growing Season Plan for Each Grower:
Grower 101: This experienced grower exclusively grows in compost that they sourced from the city in their raised beds. It’s rich in a dark brown color but it doesn’t have what could possibly be minerals under the microscope or visible rocks of any size. They have a thick layer of compost protecting their top layer of soil. We believe the key change needs to be incorporating minerals into the soil to build in a better balance. We suggested Azomite, eggshells, bone meal, kelp meal and/or biochar. We also suggested that the amendments are broken down as small as possible (especially the eggshells) prior to adding them directly to the soil and sprinkled into the compost. Additionally, we suggested that they apply the amendments approximately 3 times during the season. We provided Azomite and kelp meal We offered to assist with the amending but they declined.
Grower 102: The new growers have filled their raised beds with soil that they sourced from the store (a mixture of peat moss, mushroom compost, perlite and soil for raised beds). They added a layer of cardboard between the soil and the ground. The soil they added is approximately 1 foot thick so plants like tomatoes will definitely grow deeper than the bed. So took samples of the soil in the bed and dug deeper to examine the ground soil (very compacted and most likely has a significant amount of clay). We suggested they add about a foot more of soil to raise the level from the ground. We also suggested they place mulch on the top of the bed to protect the life in the soil. As they do not compost, we made plans to help them begin the process and build the routines to be successful. Additionally, we noticed they water using a hose and suggested they find a gentler way to water, such as a sprinkler from a slight distance or drip irrigation because it’s not a lot of beds as of now. Finally, after reviewing their soil samples we suggested that the soil in the raised bed need mineral sources added. We gave them Azomite and walked them through how to add eggshells. We also suggested small quantities of rock dust and chopped mushroom stems.
Grower 103: These experienced growers already had peas sprouting in the several rows as nitrogen producers in preparation for the next crops in a few months. The soil along the walking paths between rows was soft and springy, which is an good indicator for the soil in the rows. The suggestions we had given the soil testing results was to focus on increasing the number of fungi in the soil. We foraged for local mushrooms so to capture similar biome properties. We also bought organic mushroom compost to add to the compost pile (we added it to the center so that the mushroom wouldn’t sprout).
Grower 104: As new growers who’ve chosen to grow in ground we strongly suggested they get their soil tested just to get a baseline of the actual minerals and nutrients present as well as the presence of anything potentially dangerous. They shared that the previous year (their 1st grow year) yielded some crops that were on the smaller side of what they expected. We suggested for them to build soil mounds where the seedlings will grow in order to add a little distance from the ground that felt somewhat compacted. They have sprayed liquid nutrients to their rows a week prior to our arrival and we suggested they add another round every six weeks given this is their 2nd year of growing.
Grower 105: Entering their 3rd year of growing, the growers had everything covered in mulch and dead leaves. While they don’t formally compost, they do directly add fallen veggies and cut leaves that aren’t diseased to the soil right around their crops. Based on the results of the soil samples we recommended that they add some minerals via a controlled amount of rock dust, biochar and Azomite.
July 2025 Mid-Season Report
Most of our growers are either professional growers or they were working towards becoming professional growers to into the local farming business. Unfortunately, most of them have had many distractions related to loss of farming business opportunities during the 2025 season and it shows in their results. All of them haven’t had significant changes since our spring meetings, which is very understandable. We will return at the end of the season for hopefully better results. Additionally, our EPA grant opportunity that would have given us even more practice on analyzing and measuring microbes under the microscope was put into limbo this year. We’re hoping it will begin in 2026 so we can expand to a larger community of growers wanting to compost while we analyze their soil under the microscope. Finally, we tried our hand at making a nematode slurry to spray on the test spots with the hopes of seeing growth in October. We also applied aerobic compost tea during our visit as well.
Special notice was given to Grower 103 that had a significant increase in fungi strands (10-12 strands were detected).
October 2025 End of Season Report
Here are the results from the samples collected.
Grower Number 1 |
101 |
102 |
103 |
104 |
105 |
Bacteria |
ᯈ800/g soil |
ᯈ400/g soil |
ᯈ2000/soil |
ᯈ850/g soil |
ᯈ 500/g soil |
Fungus |
6-7 strands |
6-7 strands |
9-10 strands |
7-8 strands |
8-9 strands |
Nematodes |
Not Present |
Not Present |
Not Present |
Not Present |
Not Present |
Protozoan |
Not Seen |
Not Seen |
Not Seen |
Not Seen |
Not Seen |
Amoeba |
Present |
Not Seen |
Present |
Not Seen |
Present |
Microarthropods, Algae and Pollen |
Not Seen |
Not Seen |
Not Seen |
Not Seen |
Not Seen |
Mineral Matter (material with jagged edges) |
Possibly Seen |
Possibly Seen |
Possibly Seen |
Possibly Seen |
Possibly Seen |
Overall all of the growers experienced improved soil. The growers attributed success to following the advice given by us. Additionally grower 105 stated that adding amendments to their compost teas instead of applying them by hand may have enhanced their results regarding their fungal counts.
Educational & Outreach Activities
Participation summary:
2024 Update:
We gathered the bulk of our farmer information at a conference called the Black Loam Conference held in the spring of 2023. We had the opportunity to explain our farming collective and our SARE grant research. At the same time we put out Facebook and Instagram posts to invite farmers to our meetings where we’d also discuss our SARE grant opportunity.
During the farming season starting in May we held a farming collective meeting each month on Saturday mornings. Unfortunately our attendance went down each Saturday as farmers ramped up their growing season, so with this being our first year of meeting its been inconsistent engagement.
We’ve also started a group email through google that has been very helpful and engaging. We’re considering shifting to active field days for farmers to learn and apply the soil remediation that we’re sharing with other farmers. We’re developing a schedule with a stronger soil activity learning plan. We also share project updates online:
Learning Outcomes
Winter 2024
With winter upon us, I’ve been able to tackle a lot more of my Dr. Elaine’s Soil Food Web School coursework than I was able to during the farming 2023 season. Because we also grow microgreens we stay very busy indoors as much as we are outdoors. The coursework is very extensive and complex, but organized into small bites to allow me to focus on individual concepts that are new to me, such as carbon sequestration and the carbon cycle.
During the 2023 farming season we began a farming collective and hosted meetings to offer advice and support to one another. A part of the meetings allowed me to share what I’m learning from my coursework with a special emphasis on the microbiome within the soil. We’re currently preparing our spring meetings and will resume our shares. We also were able to identify farmers that are interested in our one-on-one consultations for their individual farms. While I wasn’t able to collect samples and begin testing them for my initial four farms, I was able to discuss with each farmer their soil management practices. The coursework is also shifting how we are preparing our farm for the spring growing season. We’re planning how to make and spray a fungi intensive compost on the farm. We will offer that to the four farms we’re working with as well.
The advantages of this project is that I am able to learn so much of the biology and chemistry of healthy soil through the initial foundational courses I’m taking. The disadvantage is that it’s a lot of coursework to get through and each class I must get a 70% on the 1st attempt because there isn’t a 2nd chance. Granted, I’ve been getting 90-100% on average, but it’s pretty stressful and time consuming nonetheless.
Ultimately, what I am learning I will be focused on sharing with other farmers in order to change and/or add to their practices. Chiefly, I’d suggest ways to prevent compaction of their soil and to find wild growing fungi near their farms to add to their compost teas. I haven’t learned Dr. Ingham's method of doing this yet, but I can explain to the farmers I’m meeting with the benefits of fungi alongside bacteria in their soils' microbiome.
Currently, we have an average participation of 4-5 farms participating in our farmer collective meetings. Three farms have agreed to participate in the microbial testing phase. My goal for this coming season as I get deeper into the coursework is to begin soil testing for those farms and continue the quarterly testing into the 2025 farming season and potentially 2026 as well.
Without the understanding of how to conduct the microscopic testing just yet I’ve still learned a great deal for other farmers to utilize and strategically add to their winter planning for the coming season:
- It is vital for us to find ways to not till the soil because all degrees of tilling causes compaction.
- A few of our beds are too wide for us to tend to without stepping on them so we plan to split them up and create walking paths made from primarily cut cover crops from the winter.
- Aerobic composting is necessary to cultivate healthy bacteria while suppressing bad ones.
- We’re designing vertical cages on top of pallets to be sure there is airflow on all sides of the compost to ensure it remains aerobic.
- Working with local fungal communities is important to beneficial nutrient cycling and weed suppression. Soils that have increased fungal domination will experience less to zero weeds because weeds cannot survive in a fungal dominated microbiome.
- A part of the classwork is to learn about how to make a fungi slurry to add to compost teas, but I will research a version to make and apply right when the snow officially stops in order for it to begin the process of improving the farm soil. I will also add it to the spaces where we aren’t growing but plan to so we can see if this can help improve those future growing spaces.
- Our initial farmer collective meetings will be focused on this topic and will hopefully lead to us planning some foraging field trips lead by a few foraging experts we know locally.
January 13, 2025
Here’s an overall recap of my grant experience to date. This grant has given me a phenomenal intensive educational opportunity. The degree of actionable support I will be able to dispense to other growers because of what I’ve learned is tremendous. Most of my time for the grant has been spent taking the foundational courses. In order to do well in my courses it took a significant amount of time that I wasn’t able to account for when applying for the grant. It really wasn’t possible to learn and fully administer the grant plan for testing at the same time because of the intensity and narrow scope of each course.
Entering into 2025 I will be in advanced programming to become a soil consultant. We started 2024 administering soil consultancy to a variety of growers. We were able to discuss their individual concerns, develop composting plans and give recommendations on plant varieties based on their goals. We were not able to give tips based on microscopic testing because we hadn’t entered into those aspects of our courses in the spring of 2024. We concluded 2024 with testing soil samples to practice and learn how to use the microscope properly. Some days, learning how to use the microscope was harder than the soil chemistry lessons. We were able to circle back to 6 of the approximately 10 growers that we consulted with in the spring of 2024. We also concluded the year preparing for the next phase of coursework that requires field access so it will begin in the spring when the ground is no longer frozen. The next phase focuses primarily on how to properly conduct the microscopic testing, building specific compost piles from the course and preparing goals for growers.
The plan is to have two sets of data sources for 2025. Starting in the spring we have approximately 4-6 professional growers that we will conduct microscopic testing, recommend composting routines and teas, and give general advice to monthly during the growing season. Additionally we will conduct microscopic testing for the participants of the composting course in the spring, upon request during the season, then at the end of the growing season as well. The cohort will have about 25 participants each round so we will be able to capture a great deal of data for the next two years. From what I have learned through the courses I have taken to this point microscopic testing can be done 2-3 times in a growing period to allow time in between for the biome to change in response to whatever course of action the grower takes. We will follow suit with testing at the beginning, middle and end of the season for most of our participants. If there is a need for a greater frequency we will take note of those factors.
December 2025
This has been a tremendously educational opportunity for us. The courses alone were very intense and packed with information we’re still digesting. Our biggest take away from this experience is that when you take on examining the soil under a microscope it is just the beginning of cultivating nutrient dense and healthy soil for plants to thrive without the use of synthetic fertilizers. A large part of why we think growers have a hard time adding on focusing on microbial life is that in the beginning it requires consideration for what happens below, above and on the soil. The grower is constantly trying to get balance to create an environment for life we can’t see to grow and flourish. Depending how imbalance or lacking the grow space is seems to dictate how much time, research and planning needed to strength the soil biome. Our goal is to develop simple plans that take into account what the grower is already doing so that anything we add will be easier for them to execute. Ultimately, we’re convinced that after the necessary adjustments are made , new routines are established and the microbial content grows and become more diverse it will require less attention and work.
Project Outcomes
This grant opportunity has offered us an great deal of education to help us stay an organic farm and more importantly collaborate with other farmers in pursuit of the same goal. Many farmers that we've had the opportunity to share this project with have told us that it has made them view their soil more as a living organism than just the place their plants grow from and that is a very successful outcome for us!
First, I want to thank you all for granting me the very necessary extensions to see this grant through. When I wrote this grant it was so hard to judge how much time the course work would take and I still didn't allot enough time. I'm still working to correctly apply all that I learned. Thank you for the support that everyone from SARE has given us.