Garden Soil
Your Garden Soil
The basics of soil science
Soil is basically a mixture of sand, clay, chalk and humus. When all the elements balance out it becomes what we call loam. Loam is a fertile, easy to cultivate, free-draining soil, and it is what most gardeners are aiming for. The majority of garden soil in the UK is either heavy clay, or sandy, with lots of large stones. But don't worry, it is easy to improve your soil with leaf mould, compost, lime and mushroom compost Read more »
Posted 31/10/2008
Ph testing
Garden Soil: acid, neutral or alkaline
Soil acidity is measured in terms of pH, and most soils in the UK range from a pH level of 4.0 (acid) to pH 8.0 (alkaline). The majority of garden plants including fruit and lawns prefer a slightly acidic soil, which is somewhere between pH 6.0 and pH 6.5. Testing your soil is important if you want to grow plants that have particular acidity or alkalinity requirements but this is simple to do with a soil test kit, or by identifying the plants which currently grow in your soil. Read more »
Posted 12/8/2008
Clay Soil
How to recognise clay soil, and how to improve it
Clay soil is made up of millions of fine grains and so it feels smooth and silky to the touch. It can be very sticky and difficult to culivate, and you should always avoid walking on or digging the soil when wet as this damages the soil structure. Clay soil is one of the easiest soils to work with, when handled correctly, and there are lots of simple ways to improve clay soil. Read more »
Posted 24/9/2008
Sandy Soil
How to recognise sandy soil and how to improve it
Sandy soils are light and dry. They warm up quickly in the spring and so can be useful in producing early crops. One of the advantages of sandy soil is that it can be worked at any time of year, without damage. The main disadvantage with sandy soil is that it has difficulty retaining moisture or nutrients and so will need to be improved and cared for on a regular basis. Read more »
Posted 9/9/2008
Chalky Soil
How to recognise chalky soil and how to improve it
Chalky soil are perhaps the most difficult soil type to manage. Sticky when wet, but unable to hold moisture in the summer months, they will need to be improved with regular additions of humus (compost, leaf mould etc) Chalky soils may stunt the growth of plants and cause chlorosis, a yellowing of the leaves Read more »
