Gardens And Gardening: Preparing your Garden with Healthy Soil:

Nothing can thwart the most gung-ho gardener's efforts worse than soil that is not adequate for the plants you are attempting to grow. The good news is that this doesn't have to be the end of your efforts. With just a bit of work you can reach the perfect mix of sand, silt and clay in your garden soil and your plants will be bigger, stronger and more productive than the rest of your block all season long.

The Perfect Mix For Your Gardens and Gardening Efforts

If you are lucky enough to have excellent soil in your garden area naturally, you should count your blessings my friend. For the rest of us who live in the real world, the right combination of soil components will take a bit of experimentation and work on our parts.

A good garden soil mix should ideally be two parts each of sand and silt to one part of clay. To perform a quick self test of your soil, simply grab a handful and squeeze. If it doesn't hold its shape at all and tends to crumble, you probably have too much sand in your soil. If on the other hand, it tends to form a hard ball that doesn't easily fall apart, there is too much clay content.

A more visual method that is especially entertaining for gardeners with small children involves adding about a cup of your garden soil to a clear jar full of water. Shake or stir until the soil is mixed well and then allow it to settle. After it does, you will see three distinct layers in your jar which can give you a good visual clue as to how much of each is contained in your current soil mix. Clay will be at the top, followed by silt and then by sand on the bottom.

Compost to the Rescue

Natural compost can be one of the most beneficial garden soil additives in your healthy soil arsenal. The best part is that you can have your own compost at home for free, just by using things that you might otherwise toss in the trash. Egg shells, vegetable skins, even coffee grounds can make excellent compost. For more information on composting, a quick internet search will yield a tremendous amount of valuable information for first timers.

By bringing your soil balance to a better combination of sand, silt and clay, you are better equipping your gardens and gardening efforts to support the plants you bring to it. Proper drainage and proper nutrient content will bring about a huge increase in the quality (and quantity) of the plants you are growing in your garden, but you should always remember that it all starts with health soil.