Healthy Soil for Healthy Crops Builds Better Growing Systems

Healthy Soil for Healthy Crops will give farmers, growers, and gardeners practical, science-based guidance to improve soil health and build more resilient growing systems.

The class will be held Thursday, September 24, 2026, from 1 to 4 p.m. at the North Carolina Arboretum, 20 Frederick Law Olmsted Way, Asheville, North Carolina. The in-person program is part of the Arboretum’s Adult Education offerings and will be taught by soil-health educator Mark Dempsey.

Understanding How Healthy Soil Works

The workshop will begin with the fundamentals of soil and the biological and physical processes that influence crop performance.

Participants will examine the importance of organic matter, how it affects soil function, and why maintaining healthy soil can improve the long-term productivity of farms and gardens. The program will focus on practical steps growers can take to improve soil conditions rather than treating soil health as an abstract concept.

The Healthy Soil for Healthy Crops workshop is designed around research and real-world farm experience, with an emphasis on strategies growers can put into practice on their own land.

Healthy Soil for Healthy Crops and Soil Testing

One central topic will be soil sampling and nutrient testing.

Participants will learn how to collect a useful soil sample and how to interpret information from a nutrient test. Understanding soil-test results can help farmers and growers make better decisions about fertility, amendments, and overall soil management.

The workshop will also address steps producers can take after receiving test results, helping connect laboratory information with practical field decisions.

Soil Health, Erosion and Farm Resilience

The program will explore ways better soil management can help reduce erosion and improve the resilience of farming systems.

Healthy soils can play an important role in how agricultural land responds to heavy rainfall, dry periods, and other stresses. For Appalachian growers working on sloping ground or in areas that have experienced severe weather, soil structure and erosion control can be especially important.

Healthy Soil for Healthy Crops connects those broader concerns with practical soil-management strategies farmers and gardeners can use over time.

Experienced Soil Health Instructor

Instructor Mark Dempsey is a conservation specialist and soil health educator with the Carolina Farm Stewardship Association.

Dempsey has more than 15 years of research and education experience involving soil microbiology, no-till production, cover crops, and sustainable agricultural systems. His work focuses on practical approaches to improving soil function and long-term farm resilience.

Registration and Financial Assistance

The class is intended for adults and runs for approximately three hours. The North Carolina Arboretum offers a 10% registration discount for members and also provides a scholarship application for participants who may have difficulty covering the cost of a class.

Date: Thursday, September 24, 2026
Time: 1-4 p.m.
Location: The North Carolina Arboretum
Address: 20 Frederick Law Olmsted Way, Asheville, NC 28806
Instructor: Mark Dempsey
Format: In-person workshop

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