It’s a very funny seed that the Hainaut cross-border natural park is currently distributing to volunteers from the 55 municipalities of the territory, a white 100% cotton brief! The idea which seems absurd is not a joke, however, it was launched in Canada in 2015 by 2 farmers and then relayed by the Canadian Ministry of Agriculture, to test soil fertility.
The park offers residents plant when nature wakes up in the spring, for 2 months this slip 15 cm deep in their vegetable garden before digging it up to see its state of decomposition.
If the soil is good, only the elastic will remain because the cotton will have been devoured by thousands of insects, and microorganisms such as bacteria or fungi. explains Tangui Lefort in charge of the ecological framework and water resources mission at the Scarpe Escaut natural park.
It was the fate of Marianne Deckers’ underpants, the park’s eco-gardener shows the shreds of underpants found last year in her vegetable gardenproof of a very lively land for growing good vegetables and beautiful flowers.
The Raimbeaucourt permaculture trainer regularly uses this test with different audiences
it’s very visual and very playful, and everyone wants to plant their underwear and be able to compare it after 2 months. The game is that we always hope that it is degraded. From 7 to 77 years old I think you can have fun by planting your underpants!
Tips for naturally improving your soil at the end of the test
– Hainaut cross-border natural park
And if your underpants have remained intact after 2 months, don’t panic, during a restitution session on June 25 where all briefs will be hung on a washing line at the Bonne Bière BB hiking café in Hérin, participants will receive advice on how to wake up their soil and make it swarm thanks to better aeration, for example, and better natural amendments, compost, grass clippings and others.
If you want to take part in this unusual experience, go to the website of the Scarpe Escaut park. The slip must be planted between April 16 and June 16.