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Great soil leads to great gardens.
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Give your flowers a great start. Photo: Aimee Gertsch
The key to success in the garden is soil. Healthy plants come from rich, loamy topsoil. Healthy soil is also less likely to get diseases, and can help reduce the need for chemical fertilizers and pest killers. In fact, chemical fertilizers can kill microorganisms and earthworms, both of which are important for healthy soil.
The United States Department of Agriculture was established in 1914 to help provide local garden expertise. They can help you determine the health of your soil by doing a soil test, and also give you tips on how to improve it. Their number can be found in the county listing section of the phone book. But there are also things that you can do yourself to test your soil.
A home soil test is very easy to do and will tell you if your soil is well balance, or if it has too much clay, sand, or silt. Simple put 5 inches of dry soil into a large jar with a lid (a canning jar works well). Next, add enough water to cover the dirt completely, then screw on the lid tightly and shake the jar. Set it aside for 24 hours, and when you come back you will see that layers have formed, allowing you to see how much clay, silt, and sand your dirt has.
Perfect soil has a mixture of 2 inches of silt, 1 inch of clay, and 2 inches of sand. You may learn that your soil is mostly clay, or mostly sand. Luckily it’s easy to improve on clay and sandy soil by using organic matter like manure, compost, and peat moss.
Another way to get to know your soil is through a home pH kit. They are available at most hardware stores, and are very easy to use. Most plants do best in pH neutral to slightly acidic soil. If your test shows your soil to be acidic, you can fix it by adding agricultural lime. If you find your soil to be too alkaline, adding wood ashes, peat moss, pine needles, or composted saw dust, can help remedy the problem.
Giving your plants the best soil to grow in will help insure future success. Taking a little time to know your soil is well worth the effort.
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