Earthstar

Striate earthstar (Geastrum striatum)

14 October 2024

We are organic, no-dig gardeners.

We apply our own home made organic compost to the soil surface. This means that our soil is rarely contaminated by pesticides or herbicides, giving invertebrates, soil bacteria and fungus the best opportunity to thrive. If these are thriving beneath the warm cover of compost, the plants will too.

We also store a lot of rainwater and so, when we water there are less pollutants added to the soil than if we used tap water.

In not digging we allow worms to burrow and fertilise the soil. The other beneficial invertebrates are also unimpeded. Bacteria and soil mycology too can prosper.

Evidence if you need it was seen this week when we discovered striate earthstar (Geastrum striatum) as we cleared where squash, pumpkins and tomatoes had been growing.

This is a rare fungus although with a wide range in England.

If we’d been digging, the strands of soil mycelia would have been broken and the fruiting body would probably not have grown. We don’t dig, so the earthstars get the chance to thrive.

A threat to all fungi is increased atmospheric pollution in a process called eutrophication, piling nitrogen in and encouraging vigorous growth of competing vegetation.

Congratulations to the earthstar on its arrival and top marks to the head gardener who discovered the earthstar while hoeing.