Gardening Series: Dig in the Dirt! Soil Preparation: How Do You Prepare Garden Soil for Planting? P2
- Shidonna Raven
- 2 hours ago
- 2 min read
March 14, 2025
Source: Almanac
Photo Source: Unsplash,
• 4:06
Shidonna Raven Garden & Cook - Garden Club
Digging Deeper: Know Your Soil
Do you have clay or sandy soil? Is your soil acidic or alkaline? Is it thin or rich in nutrients? If you really want to improve your gardening success overall, take time to understand the type of soil in your own yard. Determining the makeup of your soil composition is important because you’ll understand if you need to tweak anything. Having good soil is critical in your success as a gardener and will end up making gardening so much easier. We’ll touch on three important components:
Soil Type
Soil pH
Soil Nutrition
I. Soil Types
There are three types of soil: clay soil, sandy soil, and silt.
The ideal soil texture is “loamy” and consists of equal parts of sand, silt, and clay. Loamy soil has that perfect balance—it holds moisture but also drains well, allows oxygen to reach plants’ roots, and is rich in humus (organic matter). It’s fertile, easy to work, and contains plenty of organic matter.
Loamy Soil (the Goal)The soil is damp but not sticky, even after a rainfall. Good garden soil crumbles easily. It will not form a hard ball when squeezed nor crack or crust over when dry.
Clay Soil With very fine particles, clay soil will feel wet and sticky. Clay soil will easily hold its shape when rolled into a ball. It has poor drainage and poor aeration. It’s often fertile, but the nutrients get locked up. When it dries in the hot summer sun, clay soil cracks; it also gets waterlogged in winter. Clay soil needs lots of organic matter and loft to break up the sticky, dense texture, including compost and well-aged manure.
Sandy Soil With its large particles, sandy soil feels gritty. It’s a loose and crumbly soil and won’t stay in a ball. Sandy soil drains very quickly and leaches nutrients, so it is not very fertile. You’ll need to amend with compost and well-aged manure.
How can you introduce more (organic or natural) fresh vegetables and fruits into your diet? How could this impact the environment? How could a home garden contribute to your and your family's over all health?
Share the wealth of health with your colleagues and friends by sharing this article with 3 people today.
If this article was helpful to you, donate to the Shidonna Raven Garden and Cook E-Magazine Today. Thank you in advance.
Kommentare