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I often mention my veg patch’s clay soil in this column, and that’s because soil type affects what we grow and how. Getting to know your soil is an essential part of becoming a great grower of edible plants. Soil type is determined by the size of the soil’s particles which, in turn, determine its characteristics.
Sandy soil has the largest particles, which means it is light, easy to work, lets water drain through it freely and warms up quickly in spring. This also means that sandy soil dries out easily, isn’t as water retentive as other types and tends to be low in nutrients as they wash through it.
Silty soils are made of mid-sized particles, which means they have decent drainage and fertility, but can be easily compacted.
Clay-dominant soil has the smallest particles, so is very water retentive and slow to drain. It takes a while to warm up in spring but holds warmth longer as the weather cools, and is rich in nutrients. These qualities make clay soil both valuable and challenging, as it’s heavy and can be hard to work when very wet or very dry.
But if you incorporate organic matter into the soil season after season, it will open its dense texture to make it less likely to compact, easier to work and better able to receive developing plant roots. If looked after, you can grow most crops in clay soil – although I’m still not confident that root vegetables would do well on my plot. You can also grow pretty much anything in a silty soil, but loamy soils are the holy grail: a mixture of the above three soil particle sizes that make them an ideal middle ground.
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You can figure out what your soil type is by conducting a simple test: take a small handful of your soil, break up any clumps and remove any stones or detritus, then add a little water before attempting to roll the soil into a ball. If it feels gritty, crumbles and won’t form a sphere then your soil is sandy; if your soil ball feels almost silky you probably have silty soil; and clay soil will feel somewhat sticky yet firm and mouldable.
We growers can always amend the characteristics of soil and, fortunately, all types benefit from the same thing – a generous offering of organic matter, be that compost or well-rotted manure (from a reliable source). With diligent applications, most crops can be grown in whatever soil you have.
By laying down nutrient-rich mulch, you feed the soil life, the organisms such as earthworms that will take the organic matter down into the earth, both enriching it and improving its texture as burrows are formed. For sandy soil, this approach will help to bind loose particles, improving its water and nutrient-holding capacity. If you have sandy soil, I’m envious of all the carrots and parsnips you can grow.
