Working with your soil
I don’t know anybody who thinks they have good soil. If it’s sandy, it’ll be easier to cultivate but will dry out too quickly. Heavy clay holds on to moisture well, but is the very devil to dig. Both can be improved by the addition of as much organic matter (well-rotted garden compost and manure) as you can lay your spade on. It’s difficult to add too much.
The organic enrichment will improve drainage on clay soil by opening it up and increase the moisture-holding capacity of sandy earth. Adding sharp sand or fine grit to clay soil will give longer-lasting improvement than organic matter, because they don’t rot down. When you’ve worked out where your planting areas will be, add both for best results.
A simple soil testing kit will tell you how acid or alkaline your soil is. Acid soil has a pH reading below 7 (neutral) and alkaline soil a pH reading above 7. On chalky or limestone soils, which are alkaline, you won’t be able to grow lime-haters such as rhododendrons and camellias (except in pots of ericaceous – lime-free – compost) – their leaves will turn yellow and they’ll become sickly. But there are plenty of other plants that love alkaline soil, from clematis to hardy geraniums, dianthus to peonies. Growing plants that are happy at your pH level will save you hours of pandering to their whims when they’re out of sorts.
Raised beds can be constructed and topsoil imported to suit the plants you want to grow, and if bending down and mobility are an issue, they can be a real boon. Make them from stone, brick or wooden sleepers. They’re usually between 45cm and 60cm high.
Don’t think that one initial go at improving your soil is enough. Organic matter rots down and disappears over time, so apply it every spring as a mulch – spread well-rotted manure or homemade compost over the soil surface around your plants in a layer about 5cm thick. It’ll do wonders for their growth, for soil moisture retention and for deterring weeds.
Also add a good dusting (two or three clenched fistfuls to the square metre) of blood, fish and bonemeal in March or April – before the mulch – to give your plants a boost. Then repeat in June, just before a shower is forecast.
KEY POINTS TO REMEMBER
⯀ Improve soil structure with organic matter
⯀ Test your soil
⯀ Apply blood, fish and bonemeal in spring
⯀ Mulch annually
DISCOVER
more about how to improve soil and the various soil types at gardenersworld.com/soil
LISTEN
to Alan’s practical advice in our new Gardeners’ World Magazine Tea-Break Tutorials – exclusively on Apple Podcasts or at gardenersworld.com/podcast