How to improve Sandy Soil

How to improve your garden soil - Sandy Soil

If you read my last post on lawncare, you will understand the importance of garden maintenance to keep things looking fresh and fertile in the garden. The first day of spring 2009, is expected on the 20th march, so a quick tip to get your garden kick started into the season is to give your soil some tender loving care. Your plants will thank you later.

Without soil, your plants are nothing, so it’s important to give this vital foundation to the garden some attention once in a while. Firstly, the success and methods implemented here will vary depending on your soil type; sandy, clay or silt. A mixture of these three is ideal as each type has pros and cons for certain plant varieties.

Sandy Soil:

Soil with a high sand content can make growing plants difficult.

Sandy soil, as you can probably guess, has a naturally high grit and sand content, meaning it has a much better drainage quality than other soil types. This is great for plants that don’t need much water, but for the majority of those that do, you need to make some changes to that soil for it to hold onto any moisture. One of the most efficient methods for improving sandy soil is to use organic matter and mix it thoroughly through the soil. There are a variety of commercial products for this, but anything from garden waste, to manure will help the soil maintain its water content. My personal preference is good old fashioned compost.

Compost:

Compost is the gardeners friend, it is good for the environment, free to make and great for your soil. By encouraging more organic matter in the soil, you will also attract insect and bacteria which feed on the rotting matter. These bacteria and creepy crawlies, like worms, will naturally improve the soil quality with you having to lift a finger. They are nature’s very own gardeners.

You can create your own compost by allotting a small area in your garden for recycling. Im a fan of using egg shells, used tea bags, vegetable peelings and the like mixed in with some soil to create the compost. Just layer your waste over a bed of soil and keep moist. Over a number of weeks, the material will rot down and turn into wonderful soil – It also benefits from a high nutrient content, and cuts down on household wastage. You can also speed this up by adding your clippings and wood mulch with the use of specialised gardening tools.

I’ll try and cover the alternate soil types in near future, so be sure to check out our gardening tips category for future articles.