Historically, there were many reasons for the emergence of what would become known as science. In places like Ancient Greece and the Mediterranean, Ancient Egypt, China, India, the Americas, one of the leading reasons for the development of controlled experimentation was to learn how to care and manage plants, their production and the powerful 'medicines' they provide. And so it was horticultural concerns, among others, that helped guide the historical construction of methods and controls that help maintain, expand and improve cultural life.
Cultures that face arid conditions often find that the production and distribution of food and water are consistent communal concerns. Such was the background against which many botanists, biologists, geologists, geographers, and other philosophers would develop their theories.
The environmental factors are interesting to gardeners for several reasons:
The associations and grant work in soil science usually focus on field crops and large scale projects, so what we learn from soil science usually calls for some type of translation to home and backyard gardening and landscaping practices. We know the ingredients needed for soil fertility and plant nutrition. We understand the dynamics behind soil and plant nutrient management. For us, the studies in soil physics, soil chemistry, soil biology and soil biochemistry translate into practical results for gardeners, into practices that match the environment within which we live. Proper, ecologically sound soil and water management and conservation practices are the logical result of the research.
For Dry Creek, the logic of sound environmental science is reflected in the plants we choose to promote.
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