Know Your Soil When Gardening
Good soil is as important to your garden as a good foundation is to your house. There’s one big difference, though. With your soil you don’t have to be satisfied with what you have. If you find that you don’t have ideal - or even good - garden soil, you can improve it.
Gardening is like most hobbies in that you can get as involved as you like. No one is going to say you must thoroughly understand the soil or how plants grow in order to enjoy your garden. If you’re at all serious about gardening, though, there are a few things you should know about your soil.
Most garden websites will tell you an ideal garden soil is deep, friable, fertile, well-drained, and high in organic matter. Don’t be disappointed if your soil doesn’t fit that description. Few garden soils do.
If you find the soil to be less than ideal, you can either leave it as is or try to improve it. Before you start making shanges, find out what you have. And even if you decide not to make changes, getting to know your soil will help you decide what plants will grow best on your lot.
In getting to know your soil, you’ll need to understand certain physical and chemical characteristics. Physical characteristics include the soil’s composition, texture, structure, depth, and drainage. The main chemical characteristics you’ll need to be aware of include the pH and the overall fertility level.
Composition. Soil is composed of four primary materials - sand, clay, silt, and organic matter (humus). The type of soil you have and many of its characteristics are determined by the proportion of these four materials present.
The composition of your soil is related to soil texture and soil structure. It is important to know something about the composition of the soil if you attempt to adjust the pH or apply chemicals to your garden, because recommendations generally vary according to soil type. Knowing something about your soil’s composition will also give you an idea of how well it will hold fertility and how well it will drain.
