Top 3 Soils Your Plants And Veggies Will Love

When it comes to buying potting soil, it's almost always the same old song. Head to the garden center at Walmart and pick however big of a bag of soil out and make your way to the checkout line. 

What if I told you might be doing an injustice to your plants?

Believe it or not, not all soils are the same. In this week’s post for “From the Potting Shed” we’ll be discussing 3 of the 6 types of soil. Clay, loamy, and sandy. Let’s jump in:) 

Clay Soil

You’ve probably figured out that clay soil can’t be considered clay soil without. Well, clay. Clumpy and sticky whenever wet, dry and hard whenever dry, this soil can be poor at draining and contains very little space for air to flow through. If you’re outside and planting trees, and shrubs in your yard you might find it helpful to mix in compost or leaves to clay soil. The organic matter helps keep the soil aerated and able to hold the right amounts of water. 

Loamy Soil

What do you get when you mix sand, silt, and clay soil together? Some might say you get the name of this next    soil we’ll be talking about. Loam.Unlike regular soil, sandy soil does not retain moisture well, but is great at providing air to your plants roots. Like we just talked about, clay soil isn’t much on its own, but does hold loads of nutrients. Finally, silt. This is the ingredient that ties everything together making the sand and clay mix evenly and adds the perfect balance of moisture retaining properties. Made of these three ingredients this soil has a fine texture, is full of nutrients and easy to cultivate, this soil is perfect for most garden plants. 

1. Because the summer heat keeps loamy soil dry, keeping it moist and making sure organic matter is mixed in will ensure optimal growth for your vegetables, shrubs, and your vining plants.   Curious as to how to make this at home? Try the steps below
   On top of your topsoil there should be about a two-inch layer of organic matter (we’re gonna use those words a lot) that can consist of yard waste such as leaves, twigs, and clippings of grass. 

2. Once step one is completed the next thing you wanna do is waterlog your mixture. Make sure it's soaked through and through and let it rest through winter. 

3. In Spring, mix the organic matter into the topsoil, rotating it so that there will be an even mixture of the two and repeating these steps yearly should help you find that using this soil is best for your garden. 
   
   
   

Sandy Soil

Now this is another self explanatory soil. With a coarse texture and poor in nutrients, sandy soil is just that. Sandy. 

Less fertile than other soils and made up of large particles that make it hard to retain water, sandy soil can be found in desert regions making it perfect for plants with roots that do well in soil that is dry and a bit acidic such as cacti, radishes, and carrots just to name a few. 

Herbs such as thyme and rosemary would also benefit from this soil:) the key to improving this soil is to add kelp meal, glacial rock dust, and mulch. Adding this organic matter will keep your plants and vegetables happy and thriving. 

Remember. These are just a few of the soil types, but some that’ll yield substantial growth when put in the right conditions. Doing a bit of research on the types of plants you have or want and figuring out which soil type is best for it will lead to a long and healthy plant life.