Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
side, clay soil is richer in nutrients and retains more moisture than
sandy soil, which means it needs less water in the hot summer
months. To check if you have clay soil, take a small handful of soil,
add a little water, and roll it between your hands. If it forms an
elongated shape and does not easily fall apart, you have mostly clay
in your soil.
Smoothie Garden Solution
Raised beds or containers are always great options if you have
poor soil or live in an urban area where there is no open ground
available. There are good packaged soil mixtures sold at garden
nurseries. Be sure to consider the initial cost; however, raised beds
or containers are great ways to grow some of your own veggies.
To improve clay soil, you want to add as much organic matter as
you can. By adding in compost, shredded leaves, and rotted
manures (such as horse, cow, or chicken manure), you will help to
enlarge the amount of space between the soil particles and make the
soil lighter. This will increase air circulation, allowing the oxygen and
nutrients to be absorbed by the plants.
Silt Soil
Silt soil has medium-sized particles, larger than clay and smaller
than sandy soils. Silt drains better than clay soil and holds nutrients
better than sandy soils. This type of soil is very rare and is really
only found near rivers or in areas that were once under water. The
main disadvantage to silt soil is that it lacks organic matter, but that
can be easily remedied by adding it in. To test if you have silty soil,
put a small amount of soil in your palm, add a bit of water, and rub
it between your fingers. Silty soil will have a soapy feel to it.
