Test your soil texture easily
Loam is often considered to be the pinnacle of garden soils – the perfect blend of clay, sand and silt, avoiding extremes. But you still get the best out of it from regular feeding!
To find out soil texture, take a handful of moist earth, squeeze it tightly and then release it. If the soil retains its shape it means there’s some clay present. If it’s very sticky and can be moulded into a shape, it has a high clay content. Silty soil won’t mould as easily and is silky-smooth to touch. Soils with a high sand content will crumble when you release your hand and when rubbed between your finger and thumb they feel gritty. A loamy soil is one that contains a mixture of sand, silt and clay. It will mould to a shape, but will crumble easily. Soils that are peaty, or rich in other organic matter, will be visibly fibrous.