There are a seemingly never ending number of factors to keep in mind when you are looking to establish your garden, however, in our experience the most overlooked of these is exactly what type of soil your garden or yard is made up of. This is a basic cornerstone of gardening. Put simply, the elements that are found within your soil will make it either heavy, which will make the soil appear to be extremely wet and poorly drained, or light which, obviously means the exact opposite is true. Light soil is dry and will drain effectively. These factors will ultimately determine what types of plants will thrive and continue to bloom when planted in it.
To work out the chemical nature of your soil you use the PH scale, this is something I am sure you are aware of, after all, we all remember our school days waiting for the litmus paper to turn blue during those seemingly endless science lessons. The Ph scale goes from 1-14. Under 7 (neutral), soils are progressively acidic or 'Lime Free' and over 7 they are more and more alkaline (limy). You can work out what type of soil you have just by checking out the colour, feeling the texture, and observing what type of plants and shrubs will grow on it. Alternatively you may also do a basic soil test using one of the many kits that are commercially available. The best advice however, is to just take a soil sample from your garden and visit your favourite garden centre, where your exact soil type can be established.
Heavy Clay
What you will find with heavy clay is that the tiny clay particles stick together, making this type of soil very slow draining, especially after a heavy rain shower. It also becomes very sticky and is likely to bake rock hard in dry sun. Heavy clay can be extremely fertile and can of course be improved by putting in a decent draining system, or by adding some coarse organic matter. Heavy clay can be a total nightmare to work with, as anybody who has tried to dig out a pond in high summer can attest to.
Sandy Soils
Obviously, this would be the polar opposite of heavy clay in that the sand molecules are much bigger than clay, making sandy soils very light, free draining, and quick to warm up in the spring. Some types of plants may need irrigation and feeding, although this can be easily remedied by adding compost or other types of organic matter.
Acidic - Lime Free
You may often hear it referred to as peaty, lime free soils are fairly dark in appearance and seem to be rich in organic matter. This type of soil is acidic in nature and will retain moisture quite easily, however, it can be made to be more free draining simply by adding some coarse sand.
Alkaline
The complete opposite of lime free soil types, (as you would expect) are the limy or alkaline soils. They include chalk, and tend to be pale in appearance and crammed full of rocks or stones. Very free draining, they warm up very nicely in spring, and are moderately fertile. Like sandy soils they do benefit from the addition of organic matter.
To work out the chemical nature of your soil you use the PH scale, this is something I am sure you are aware of, after all, we all remember our school days waiting for the litmus paper to turn blue during those seemingly endless science lessons. The Ph scale goes from 1-14. Under 7 (neutral), soils are progressively acidic or 'Lime Free' and over 7 they are more and more alkaline (limy). You can work out what type of soil you have just by checking out the colour, feeling the texture, and observing what type of plants and shrubs will grow on it. Alternatively you may also do a basic soil test using one of the many kits that are commercially available. The best advice however, is to just take a soil sample from your garden and visit your favourite garden centre, where your exact soil type can be established.
Heavy Clay
What you will find with heavy clay is that the tiny clay particles stick together, making this type of soil very slow draining, especially after a heavy rain shower. It also becomes very sticky and is likely to bake rock hard in dry sun. Heavy clay can be extremely fertile and can of course be improved by putting in a decent draining system, or by adding some coarse organic matter. Heavy clay can be a total nightmare to work with, as anybody who has tried to dig out a pond in high summer can attest to.
Sandy Soils
Obviously, this would be the polar opposite of heavy clay in that the sand molecules are much bigger than clay, making sandy soils very light, free draining, and quick to warm up in the spring. Some types of plants may need irrigation and feeding, although this can be easily remedied by adding compost or other types of organic matter.
Acidic - Lime Free
You may often hear it referred to as peaty, lime free soils are fairly dark in appearance and seem to be rich in organic matter. This type of soil is acidic in nature and will retain moisture quite easily, however, it can be made to be more free draining simply by adding some coarse sand.
Alkaline
The complete opposite of lime free soil types, (as you would expect) are the limy or alkaline soils. They include chalk, and tend to be pale in appearance and crammed full of rocks or stones. Very free draining, they warm up very nicely in spring, and are moderately fertile. Like sandy soils they do benefit from the addition of organic matter.
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