Lawn & Garden

Some children may grow up believing that dirt is a bad thing because they were scolded for entering the house with dirty shoes. However, outdoor dirt is essential for gardening.

©2007 Publications International, Ltd. Choosing plants that thrive in your soil and your climate will help ensure a healthy garden. See more pictures of garden ideas.

In gardening, dirt is transformed into soil, which is a mixture of animal, vegetable, and mineral material. Good soil is the foundation of a great garden.

The dark, loose soil in beautiful gardens seen in magazines and on television is usually not natural. Experienced gardeners amend their native soils by adding sand to make them drier and looser or clay to make them moister and firmer. They also add old leaves, ground-up twigs, rotted livestock manure, and old lawn clippings to increase organic matter, which nourishes and improves any type of soil, resulting in healthier plant growth.

Choosing plants that thrive in your soil type and environment is the best way to maximize your soil’s potential. Here are some tips for selecting native plants:

• Choose plants adapted to the conditions outside your home. When plants are accustomed to your native soil and climate, they are more likely to grow beautifully with minimal effort. Native plants from the nearby countryside, such as shade trees, shrubs, or flowers, are excellent choices. Alternatively, try less common plants from regions with similar conditions to your own.
• To identify appropriate plants, analyze your garden conditions. Test your soil to determine whether it is sandy or clay-like and how productive it is. Observe the site’s sunlight levels and select plants that require full sun, partial sun, or shade.
• Consult the United States Department of Agriculture hardiness zone map to locate your area and determine the amount of winter coldness. Take note of the light levels, soil conditions, and climatic zone information you have gathered. Browse through gardening books and nursery catalogues to locate plants that thrive in all of your yard’s specific conditions. Use these plants as a shopping list for all future gardening projects. Investing some extra time in the beginning will make gardening much easier in the following years.

If you are unsure about your garden soil type, it is difficult to choose the suitable plants. You can learn how to test your soil on the next page.

Understand Your Weeds

Observe the weeds that grow in your garden and learn from them. Weeds are clever at finding opportunities to grow in empty soil. Different weeds prefer certain types of soil, for example, dandelions thrive in fertile, heavy soil. By closely examining the weeds in your garden, you can gather important information about the soil. If there are few weeds growing in an area, it may indicate that the soil needs attention. If weeds are growing in certain areas more quickly than others, it may indicate that those areas are moister and better for seed germination.

If you are unsure about the type of weeds growing in your garden, by observing their growth patterns and characteristics, you can still gain valuable information. For instance, sparse growth, short stems, and discolored leaves may indicate a nutrient deficiency in the soil.

For more gardening tips, try:

• Gardening Tips: Learn helpful hints for all of your gardening needs.
• Annuals: Plant these beauties in your garden.
• Perennials: Choose great plants that will return year after year.
• Gardening: Discover how to garden.

Test Your Soil

Before adding fertilizers and amendments to your garden soil, it is essential to understand what type of soil you have. Soil tests can provide valuable information about nutrient levels, pH, and organic content. These factors are critical for healthy plant growth. It is important to avoid unnecessary tampering with soil nutrients or acidity as it can create more problems than benefits. Soil tests are like nutrient guides on packaged foods, which provide information about the nutrient content. The following tips will help you test your soil.

To get accurate results, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service, which can be found under federal or county government in the phone book, to obtain a soil testing kit that comes with a soil collecting bag and instructions. Once you have collected the soil sample, follow the instructions precisely. The results may be presented in a chart filled with numbers, which can be overwhelming at first. However, you can begin to understand the numbers by looking for the following information: if the organic matter percentage is less than 5 percent, add extra compost to the garden. Nutrients will be listed separately, possibly in parts per million or as high, medium, or low levels of availability. If any elements are low, add a fertilizer that replaces what’s deficient. Soil pH indicates the acidity of the soil, with ratings below 7 being acidic soils, 6 to 7 being slightly acidic and the most fertile pH range, and above 7 being alkaline or basic soil, which can become infertile above pH 8. Excessively acidic and alkaline soils can be treated to make them more moderate and productive. It is important to add only the necessary nutrients identified in the soil test. More nutrients are not always better, as too much of any one nutrient can have toxic effects. Don’t feel obligated to add more fertilizer than is required, and save the rest of your money for other uses, such as buying more plants.

To check the texture of your soil, you can conduct a simple test at home using a jar filled with water. Collect soil from your garden, taking samples from the surface and down to a depth of 8 inches. Dry the soil, crush it into fine grains, and mix it well. Take a quart glass jar and add a 1-inch layer of soil along with 1/4 teaspoon of dishwasher detergent powder. Fill the jar two-thirds with water and shake it for a minute, making sure to remove all soil from the bottom. Place the jar on a counter undisturbed. After one minute, mark the level of settled particles on the jar with a crayon. The settled particles represent sand. Set an alarm for 4 hours and mark the next level when it goes off, indicating the amount of silt that has settled out. Over the next day or two, the clay will settle allowing you to take the final measurement. These measurements will help you determine the percentage of sand, silt, and clay in your soil, which is essential information for gardening. Soil with a high percentage of sand is well aerated, making it easier to plant earlier in spring. However, it may require more watering and fertilization. Soil with more clay retains moisture, takes longer to dry, and is rich in nutrients. Soil with an equal percentage of sand, silt, and clay is ideal for gardening. You can test your soil’s drainage by digging a hole and filling it with water. The rate at which the water disappears will tell you if the soil is excessively dry or very soggy. If the soil takes 1 to 12 minutes to empty, it is sharply drained and likely to be dry. If it takes 12 to 30 minutes, the drainage is ideal. If it takes 30 minutes to 4 hours, the drainage is slow but adequate for plants that thrive in moist soil. If it takes over 4 hours, the drainage is poor and needs help. Now that you have determined your soil type, you can make changes to create the best soil possible for your garden.

Gardening Tips: Improving Your Soil

• Annuals: Add these beautiful plants to your garden.
• Perennials: Choose plants that will come back year after year.
• Gardening: Learn how to create and maintain a garden.

How to Amend Your Soil

Soils come in different types, with varying levels of clay or sand, and different drainage properties. However, soil quality can always be improved to create a thriving garden. Here are some tips to help you make the right changes to your soil.

• Use ground limestone to increase the pH of acidic soils. Limestone is a natural soil sweetener that can neutralize overly acidic soils. It’s best to add limestone in the fall to allow enough time for it to dissolve and take effect. The amount of limestone needed will depend on the soil conditions, which can be determined by a soil test. Avoid over-dosing the soil with lime by following the guidelines on the limestone package, or a professional soil test. Remember to recheck the pH every year and add limestone as needed. To lower the alkalinity and increase fertility of soils with very high pH, add cottonseed meal, sulfur, pine bark, compost, or pine needles. Garden sulfur slowly acidifies the soil as microbes convert the sulfur to sulfuric acid and other compounds. Soil amendments such as compost, decaying pine bark, and ground-up pine needles gradually acidify the soil while improving its texture.
• Test your soil by feel before and after amending it to gauge the extent of the change. Take a small handful of lightly moist soil from several inches below the surface and squeeze it into a ball. Sandy soils will fall apart and can be enriched with a layer of compost and clay. Clay soils will form a tight ball and can be lightened with compost and coarse sand.

Adding organic matter regularly is the key to improving soil quality, no matter the type of soil. Find out more in the next section.

There are many fertilizers available that can provide specific nutrients to your soil. You don’t need to collect them yourself to add them to your soil. Nitrogen: livestock manure (composted), bat guano, chicken manure, fish emulsion, blood meal, kelp meal, cottonseed meal Phosphorus: bonemeal, rock phosphate, super phosphate Potassium: granite meal, sulfate of potash, greensand, wood ashes, seabird guano, shrimp shell meal Calcium: bonemeal, limestone, eggshells, wood ashes, oyster shells, chelated calcium Boron: manure, borax, chelated boron Copper: chelated copper Magnesium: Epsom salts, dolomitic limestone, chelated magnesium Sulfur: sulfur, solubor, iron sulfate, zinc sulfate Zinc: zinc sulfate, chelated zinc Iron: chelated iron, iron sulfate

If you want more gardening tips, you can try:

• Gardening Tips: Learn helpful hints for all of your gardening needs.
• Annuals: Plant these beauties in your garden.
• Perennials: Choose great plants that will return year after year.
• Gardening: Discover how to garden.

Ways to Add Nutrients to Your Soil

Adding organic matter to your soil can benefit all types of soil. Check out the following tips to learn about adding nutrients to improve your soil and ultimately encouraging better plant growth.

• Adding a thick layer of mulch and letting it rot can improve the soil of existing gardens. Minerals released as the mulch degrades into nutrient soup soak down into the soil and fertilize existing plants. Humic acid, another product of decay, clumps together small particles of clay to make a lighter, fluffier soil. For best success, remember these points:
• Woody mulch such as shredded bark uses nitrogen as it decays. Apply extra nitrogen to prevent the decay process from consuming soil nitrogen that plants need for growth.
• Don’t apply fine-textured mulches, like grass clippings, in thick layers that can mat down and smother the soil.
• Use mulch, which helps keep the soil moist, in well-drained areas that won’t become soggy or turn into breeding grounds for plant-eating slugs and snails.
  

  ©2007 Publications International, Ltd. You can add more soil or organic material to keep shrub or tree roots under cover.

• Obtain local compost from your city or town hall service department, which is made from leaves and grass clippings collected as a public service. The compost may be free or reasonably priced for local residents. To find other large-scale composters, check with the nearest Cooperative Extension Service, landscapers, and nurseries. Bulk soil dealers may also sell straight compost or premium topsoil blended with compost. It is important not to give up, as yard scraps are discouraged or banned in many American landfills, so someone near you is composting them.
• Plan ahead for bulky organic soil amendments such as compost, manures, and leaves, which may be added by the wheelbarrow-load to improve the soil. This will temporarily raise the soil level, and as the organic matter decays, the soil level will decrease.
• If soils rich in organic matter drop to expose the top of a newly planted shrub or tree roots, add more soil or organic matter to keep the roots under cover.
• If your garden is located beside a house or fence, ensure that the soil level is low enough so that it does not come in contact with wooden siding or fencing that is not rot-resistant.
• Avoid covering the crown, where stems emerge from the ground, with organic material when planting around existing trees, shrubs, and perennial flowers. This helps prevent disease problems.

The location of your garden and how often you till your soil can also affect its quality. Learn how garden maintenance can improve your soil on the next page.

Sources of Organic MatterValuable organic matter comes in all shapes and sizes. Here are some of the most common: Compost Livestock manure Straw Grass clippings Salt hay Shredded bark Bark chunks Shredded leaves Seedless weeds Peat moss Kitchen vegetable scraps Mushroom compost Agricultural remains such as peanut hulls or ground corn cobs

Looking for more gardening tips? Check out:

• Gardening Tips: Learn helpful hints for all of your gardening needs.
• Annuals: Plant these beauties in your garden.
• Perennials: Choose great plants that will return year after year.
• Gardening: Discover how to garden.

Maintain Your Garden

The location of your garden, how you till your soil, and many other factors can have a significant impact on your soil. Follow these tips to properly care for your soil.

In order to maintain a healthy garden, it is important to avoid walking on wet soil, especially clay soils, which can cause compression and reduce oxygen. To prevent this, use walkways or stepping stones. When planting, cover the soil with a board to kneel or stand on. Before planting a new garden, till or spade a thick layer of compost into lightly moist soil to bring it to life. If starting with hard, compacted soil, use a rototiller and remove weed roots and other underground vegetation. Adding organic matter, such as compost or mulch, can also help keep soil loose and light. To preserve the texture and organic content of thriving garden soils, try spading or no-till systems and avoid repeated tilling. Loosen rich soil before planting by turning the surface shallowly with a shovel. For deep-rooted plants like roses, consider double-digging garden beds, which requires physical labor but can result in high-performance gardens.

Double-digging is a labor-intensive process that involves removing strips of soil a spade’s length deep and width wide, turning the soil below, and adding organic matter if needed. It is recommended to do this gradually or hire a professional landscaper if you have health restrictions. Another option is to build raised beds over poor soil conditions. Vegetable gardens can be mounded up while permanent and decorative gardens can be constructed with raised bed frames built of various materials. It’s important not to take soil for granted and to follow these tips to create the garden of your dreams.

FAQ

1. Why is soil important for gardening?

Soil is essential for gardening because it provides nutrients, water, and support for plant roots. The quality of soil determines how well plants grow and produce. Soil also plays a crucial role in maintaining healthy microbial populations that help break down organic matter and make nutrients available to plants.

2. What are the different types of garden soil?

There are three main types of garden soil: sandy soil, clay soil, and loamy soil. Sandy soil is porous and drains quickly, but it doesn’t hold onto nutrients very well. Clay soil is dense and holds onto moisture and nutrients, but it can be challenging to work with. Loamy soil is a mixture of sand, silt, and clay and is the ideal soil type for gardening because it provides good drainage and nutrient retention.

3. How can I improve my garden soil?

You can improve your garden soil by adding organic matter such as compost, manure, or leaf mold. Organic matter helps to improve soil structure, increase nutrient availability, and promote healthy microbial activity. You can also add soil amendments such as lime, sulfur, or gypsum to adjust soil pH and improve soil fertility.

4. How often should I test my garden soil?

You should test your garden soil at least once every three years to determine its nutrient content and pH level. A soil test can help you determine if your soil needs any amendments or adjustments to promote healthy plant growth.

5. Can I grow plants in containers without soil?

Yes, you can grow plants in containers without soil by using a soilless growing medium such as peat moss, coco coir, or perlite. These growing mediums provide support for plant roots and can be tailored to meet the specific needs of different plant species.

6. What is the best time of year to amend garden soil?

The best time of year to amend garden soil is in the fall after harvest or in the spring before planting. Amending soil in the fall allows organic matter to decompose over the winter and become incorporated into the soil. Amending soil in the spring gives amendments time to break down and become available to plants during the growing season.

7. Can I reuse garden soil from last year?

Yes, you can reuse garden soil from last year, but it’s essential to amend it with fresh organic matter and nutrients. Reusing soil can help save money and reduce waste, but it can also increase the risk of soil-borne diseases and pests. To minimize these risks, you can sterilize soil by baking it in the oven or using solarization techniques.

8. How often should I water garden soil?

You should water garden soil when it feels dry to the touch. The frequency of watering will depend on soil type, weather conditions, and plant species. Overwatering can lead to root rot and other fungal diseases, so it’s important to avoid watering too frequently.

9. Can I grow vegetables in poor soil?

Yes, you can grow vegetables in poor soil, but it may require more effort and attention to achieve good results. Adding organic matter and other soil amendments can help improve soil fertility and structure. You can also choose vegetable varieties that are well-suited to your soil type and growing conditions.