Ocean County Soil Conservation District has made available numerous resources for educators, home owners, landscapers and curious minds to help you learn more about soil and create healthy gardens, yards and landscapes at home, at school and in your community.
Explore our online library of soil-focused resources by clicking on the topics below:
- Lesson Plans for Educators: curriculum guides, lesson plans about soil and other natural resources, student project and research ideas, schoolyard gardening and outdoor classroom resources
- Healthy Soil Resources: resources for understanding and achieving healthy soil, soil health fact sheets
- Bibliography of Soil Health Resources: a comprehensive bibliography of soil health resources in downloadable format
- Web Soil Survey: an app for learning about the soil beneath your feet!
- Healthy Soil, Healthy Food Resources: information and resources about creating healthy soil to grow food, including home vegetable gardens, permaculture and farms
- Native Plants and Home Gardens: resources about native plants, information and ideas about creating a native home garden
- Rain Garden Resources: resources, guidelines and examples for building a rain garden
- Healthy Yards Resources: resources for healthy lawns, and links to our Soil Health Improvement Project (SHIP) and NJ Agricultural Experiment Station
- New Jersey Fertilizer Laws: information about the New Jersey Fertilizer Law
- Aquaculture Resources: information about aquaculture, oyster farms, oyster restoration and shell recycling
Low Maintenance Landscaping Guide for the Barnegat Bay Watershed
This manual, created by Ocean County Soil Conservation District, is intended to help you achieve a healthy yard, garden and landscape by creating a foundation of healthy soil, conserving water, using less fertilizer, and building habitat for wildlife using native plants, all while saving time and money.
Educational Resource Guide
This comprehensive booklet was created by the Ocean County Soil Conservation District as a one-stop guide for all educational resources related to the Barnegat Bay watershed. What began as a simple directory has grown into a compendium of resources and organizations offering numerous programs, publications, field trips, and watershed information that educators can incorporate into their lessons and activities.
The Barnegat Bay Watershed Educational Resource Guide
Connect with other like-minded groups within the community.
The Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History
Visit for Dig It! The Secrets of Soil exhibit plus games and other educational activities.
From The Ground Up, The Science of Soil
is a website that has many fun activities for families and interactive lesson plans for teachers.
Soil Education Articles and Updates from Our Blog
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From Vision to Reality: The Lakewood Township Stormwater Basin Retrofit Project Comes to Life
On June 3, the Lakewood Township Stormwater Basin Retrofit Project team hosted one of its most exciting and meaningful events: the LTSBRP Presentation & Bus Tour, a culminating educational program designed to showcase the project’s real-world impact.
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Soil Health: A Student’s Quest for Answers
Mateo Gonzalez, a student at Kean University’s Kean-Ocean campus, enrolled in Principles of Environmental Soil Science this past Spring 2025, used the NJ Soil Health Assessment to compare the health of forest soil with “backyard” soil, right here in Ocean County.
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Digging Deeper: Soil Science Outreach at Lacey Township High School
Lacey Township High School science students recently discovered just how dynamic and important soil is!
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Soil Science in Action: Kean University Student Highlights Vegetative Standards and the Power of Native Plants
Kean University student enrolled in the Principles of Environmental Soil Science course, gained a deeper appreciation for soil conservation and native plants.
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Digging into Soil Science: OCSCD Celebrates Earth Day with Whiting Elementary School
OCSCD and BBP celebrated Earth Day by bringing soil science to life for students at Whiting Elementary School, Manchester Township School District.
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Kean-Ocean Students Learn About NJ Soil Erosion Control Standards and the Lakewood Township Stormwater Basin Retrofit Project
OCSCD Staff and colleagues provided their knowledge and expertise in soil conservation practices to students enrolled in Kean University’s Principles of Environmental Soil Science course.
