Maintaining Trees and Lawns

Major Soil Types Found in the Garden and Their Benefits

by Cherly Wheeler

If you are planning to start a vegetable garden in your home, it is advisable to begin by learning the different soil types. The success of your gardening will depend on how well you work with the soil type you find there. 

However, there are times when no matter how hard you try, your soil type cannot adapt to the type of gardening you want to invest in. In this case, you are allowed to contact a gardening soil supplies shop to get the most appropriate soil type to supplement what you have. Here are the common soil types and their attributes.

Clay Soils

Clay soil has two opposing attributes; it is very lumpy and sticky during the wet season. On the other hand, it turns rock hard when it dries up. The soil is non-porous and retains excess amounts of water. 

The soil is ideal for all perennial shrubs and flowers. However, the fact that it retains a lot of water means that, unless it is modified, your crops might end up with rotten roots and other weaknesses. The best way to improve the drainage of the clay soil in your garden is to supplement it with a portion of sand. You can also add mulch and other organic manures to enrich the soil further.

Silty Soil

This is the ideal soil type that you can have in your garden. Silty soil normally has a soapy texture, and it is loaded with nutrients. It is easy to cultivate, and all types of flowers and plants perform well in it. It has just the right amount of drainage and will give you the least trouble when cultivating.

The only improvement that you might need to make on this soil type is adding organic manure and watering your crops during the dry season. You can find organic manure from your garden supply shop 

Sandy Soils

These are very common in the semi-arid parts of the country. Sandy soil is gritty and does not compact at all. Water drains from it easily, and it is hard for the soil to retain water to nourish plants.

The best way to improve sandy soil is to get a little silty or clay soil to supplement it. You can also add organic manure for nutrients, and mulching to prevent water loss.

The best place to start improving your home garden is understanding the structure and attributes of your garden soil. From there, you can add the nutrients you need to improve the structure of the soil from a reliable soil supplies shop. 

Share