Day 1. So the war has begun. I haven't been able to contact my partner yet so I just named us the Reds. It just so happens that her name is the Redone, and I like the Cincinnati Reds, so it seemed fitting. Also, it's not astroturf but I worked on the real turf in my front yard today. Lol Task 1. This morning, as I looked at my front yard I believe the previous owners of the home I just purchased used a lawn service that used inorganic nitrate fertilizers and killed much of the biology in my front yard soil. Although I'm not one to clear organic matter, I did just that. Sticks and dead grass. I then sifted fresh compost through a screen over the area to make sure small partials reached far down in the grass that remained. I then spread a thin layer of the remaining compost. Last but not least, I re-seeded it and covered it with straw. Not only does the straw protect the microorganisms in the fresh compost from the sun it also hides the seed from the birds. Luckily, I finished right before it rained and leached the new biology into the old soil. Task 2. On my lunch hour at work, I did some research on endophytic bacteria and how they can be transferred from seed to seed for a book I am working on. 1. Direct transfer through vascular tissues. 2. Through Gametes (Pollen and Ovule). 3. Colonization of Developing Seed Tissues. 4. Seed-to-Seedling Colonization While vertical transmission is the primary mechanism for seed-to-seed transfer, it's important to note that horizontal transmission (acquisition from the environment, like soil or air) can also contribute to the overall seed microbiome. I'm new, I don't know if this information qualifies for soil wars but this is where I have landed on my journey into soil biology. Have a nice evening, the Reds.

Im lost I don't know what the task is or where to find it 🤷🏼‍♂️

Hi! Look at this soil from my "compost"! My style of gardening is lazy and chaotic but experimenting and keeping low expectations is what makes this fun and cathartic for my adhd soul. I like a "let's see what happens" approach and I don't mind if things take longer to work. That being said, what you see is the product of me throwing my daily fruit and veggie kitchen scraps out the back door into a pile over the last 5 years or so lol. When we have leaves or grass clippings I'll put that on top of it. I don't turn it, check its temperature, or worry about percentages of brown/greens. I'm just starting to dig into it and there are a ton of worms in it. Does that mean my experiment worked and it's good soil 😂? Will the soil still be good for my plants if I've just taken chunks of it and mixed it into the other much less healthy dirt in my raised bed (store bought dirt from last year)? Most importantly, will it hurt the worms to be adding them to the other crappy soil? They've worked so hard and I don't want to harm them lol. If you've read this far, thank you! I hope everyone is having a wonderful day and I look forward to hearing what you experts have to say.

Looks like strawberries as a ground cover in the front yard is not going to work the deer have come and munched on it I might need to transplant it again

My compost smells really bad. Is there anything I can do before the neighborhood complains ?