Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Does it look healthy? Is it dark in color, rich-smelling, and crumbly,
or is it hard, grayish in color, and dry? Are there earthworms when
you dig around in it, or is it rocky with some straggly weeds? No
matter what you are starting with there are always ways to improve
it; soil is a living thing and will need amending and fertilizing along
the way.
So what kind of soil do you have? There are four basic types: sand,
silt, clay, and loam (sometimes called humus).
Sandy Soil
Sandy soil is mostly made up of sand and is the opposite of clay
soil. Sandy soil is made up of large particles that do not hold
together well. As a positive, sandy soil is often the warmest soil,
which can benefit heat-loving vegetables. The main drawback to this
type of soil is that it does not hold the water that is needed to move
the nutrients from the soil to your plants. To tell if you have sandy
soil or not, pick up a small handful and rub your fingers through it; if
it falls apart and feels gritty, your soil is made mostly of sand.
To improve sandy soil you will need to add organic matter such as
compost, rotted manures, and shredded leaves. Doing this every
year, or even twice a year if you have enough material, is ideal.
Organic matter adds nutrients to the soil and helps it to retain mois-
ture. Both nutrients and moisture, which may be lacking in a sandy
soil, are needed to grow healthy vegetable plants.
Clay Soil
In clay soil the particles are very tiny and bind together to make
the soil heavy and difficult to work with. Another disadvantage is
clay soil stays colder than other soils, so plants often have a tend-
ency to grow slower. It also can get waterlogged and prevent oxygen
from reaching the roots of your vegetable plants. On the positive
