Building Living Soil

Building Living Soil

with Everest Holmes

Friday, August 7 | 1 – 2:30 pm

Join this informative and hands-on session to learn about how to build soil biology in your area and what makes up a soil ecosystem. During the class, you will look at images of real living soil samples and learn how to interpret what you see on the slide. Everest will also discuss soil as a living ecosystem and what the soil food web is made of. The hands-on portion will include some demonstrations about aggregate stability and infiltration of rainwater.

Everest Holmes is a soil health educator, farmsteader, and product developer focused on the native biology that drives fertile, resilient growing systems. His work centers on practical, observation-based soil diagnostics paired with hands-on demonstrations. He helps students use their senses to connect with soil, structure, nutrient cycling, water dynamics and plant performance. Everest regularly teaches and develops programming on soil ecology, compost systems, and regenerative practices, with a special emphasis on making the soil food web visible through live microscopy. Everest is the Co‑founder of GROZOME and serves as Head of Product Development. He holds a B.A. in Outdoor Leadership, is a Certified Permaculture Designer, and a Certified Soil Food Web Lab Tech. Based in Swannanoa, North Carolina, Everest has practiced organic land management on 10 acre homestead for the past 14 years, as well as managed and consulted on many other farming operations, bringing real-world, field-tested experience into every class.