permaculture

[Lawrence London <lfljvenaura@gmail.com>]

http://novaonline.nvcc.edu/eli/evans/HIS241/Notes/Geography/BlackEarth.html

The Black Earth, or chernozem (чернозём from the Russian words for "black
soil," chernaia zemlia), region is a belt of extremely rich and fertile
soil stretching from the Moldova and the Western
Ukraine<http://novaonline.nvcc.edu/eli/evans/HIS241/Notes/Geography/WUkraine.html>eastward,
narrowing as it goes further east into
Siberia<http://novaonline.nvcc.edu/eli/evans/HIS241/Notes/Geography/Siberia.html>,
before coming to an end near Irkutsk.  This is some of the richest soil in
the world.




The chernozem contains a very high percentage of humus, anywhere up to
about fifteen percent, and also important organic minerals such as
phosphorus and ammonia. The depth of the chernozem has been measured at
anywhere from forty to two hundred and fifty inches, but is usually about a
foot deep.  Because it very fertile and does not require any fertilizer, it
is considered some of the best soil in the world for growing grains.  The
"black earth" region of Ukraine extends throughout about two-thirds of the
country.