Sandy Loam Soil: A Necessity for Plant Health
ADDING COMPOSTED MANURE PRIOR TO PLOWING
The majority of garden vegetables require well-drained sandy loam soil for maximum productivity. Heavy clay soils retain too much water and promote root rot through oxygen deprivation, whereas extremely sandy soils drain too quickly which deprives plants of water and nutrients. But, when clay and coarse sand are combined with humus, magic happens.
Humus is composted organic matter, and equal parts of humus, clay, and coarse sand provide a near-perfect soil mixture to allow the proper uptake of moisture and nutrients.
Thanks to pores created in this mixture by coarse sand and humus, water passing downward through the soil is replaced by air while the clay and humus retain proper levels of moisture. Humus plays additional roles by retaining and/or supplying nutrients while attracting beneficial earthworms that further reduce soil compaction.
Humus is composted organic matter, and equal parts of humus, clay, and coarse sand provide a near-perfect soil mixture to allow the proper uptake of moisture and nutrients.
Thanks to pores created in this mixture by coarse sand and humus, water passing downward through the soil is replaced by air while the clay and humus retain proper levels of moisture. Humus plays additional roles by retaining and/or supplying nutrients while attracting beneficial earthworms that further reduce soil compaction.
PLOWED IN AND READY FOR TILLING
Humus levels should be refreshed every two years, especially when using chemical fertilizers. Chemical fertilizers breakdown organic matter rather quickly, so the ideal humus comes from manure which contains its own nutrients, thereby decreasing or eliminating needs for chemical fertilizers.
TIP 1: Raw manure isn't available to everyone, so a sanitized composted version can be purchased in bags at garden supply centers for smaller projects. For larger projects such as garden plots, bales of peat moss can likewise be purchased at garden centers and supplemented with fertilizer.
TIP 2: Use only coarse sand which can be purchased in bags at most building supply centers: Fine sand binds more readily with clay and humus to create compacted soil.
TIP 1: Raw manure isn't available to everyone, so a sanitized composted version can be purchased in bags at garden supply centers for smaller projects. For larger projects such as garden plots, bales of peat moss can likewise be purchased at garden centers and supplemented with fertilizer.
TIP 2: Use only coarse sand which can be purchased in bags at most building supply centers: Fine sand binds more readily with clay and humus to create compacted soil.