“Secrets of the Soil” series offered

The College of Continuing Education and Community Service (CCECS) at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo hosts a two-part series on “Secrets of the Soil” on Saturdays, October 17 and 24, from 9 a.m. to noon, at UH Hilo’s College of Agriculture Building, Room 102. Cost is $40 for Part 1, $30 for Part 2, or $60 for both.

Instructor Zach Mermel will explore the basics of soil biology in “Secrets of the Soil, Part 1.” Participants will look at how soil is formed, what organisms reside in it, what types of soils are found on Hawai‘i Island, the dynamics of the soil food web, various properties of the soil, and the fundamentals of soil testing at the homestead and farm scale.

Part 2 will teach participants how to make high quality compost. This hands-on session will involve constructing a biologically-active compost pile.