An organic garden is nothing without organic soil.  Slugs, snails, earthworms and beetles are a common sight in organic gardens around the world. They're fascinating to watch and, believe it or not, help your garden much more than they hurt it. Incredibly, these very visible soil creatures are only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to life in your garden's soil. Most soil life is difficult, if not impossible, to see without the help of a magnifying glass or microscope.

Scientists are working hard to learn more about the amazing and intricate biology of our soils. They have already made some wonderful discoveries: penicillin is made by a common soil fungus and streptomycin, another antibiotic, is made by an actinomycete, which is a type of soil bacteria. Beyond valuable medicines, soil creatures help provide us with another very crucial thing: our food. Without them, organic matter wouldn't decompose, nutrients wouldn't cycle, our soil's structure would collapse and, accordingly, plants simply would not grow very well.

What creatures are featured?

• Gastropods: Slugs and snails. Did you know that they spend about 90% of their lives underground? I always thought that they spent all of their time eating my lettuce and tomatoes.

• Earthworms: Worms help to aerate the soil and distribute organic matter, which helps plants find food more easily.

• Fungi: Soil fungi work hard to decompose organic matter, helping to unlock nutrients and make them available to plants.

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