STORY AND PHOTO BY KAREN BOSSICK

Learn how to build and maintain healthy garden soil when the Hailey Public Library hosts “Gardening for Soil Care.”

The virtual talk will be held at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, May 27. RSVP to Kristin.fletcher@haileypubliclibrary.org

The Zoom discussion will be led by Manon Gaudreau, a Master Gardener, co-founder of the Valley Victory Gardens and co-director of the Wood River Seed Library. Joining her will be Amy Mattias, program director for the Sun Valley Institute for Resilience, a member of the Blaine County Food Council and a board member of Idaho Center for Sustainable Agriculture.

Together they will address the fertility of gardens, soil amendments, mulching and smart water use.

“This talk will highlight the third principle of growing a resilient garden – soil care,” said Kristin Fletcher, the library’s programs manager. “It’s easy for gardeners to focus on the health of flowers and vegetables growing above ground.  But those plants depend on a healthy soil with the right amount of nutrients, micro-organisms and combination of drainage and moisture holding capacity.”