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Soil & Compost

 

Soil is a gardener's most precious resource and if well looked after it will produce bigger crops and healthier plants that last longer. This can be achieved by digging and adding well-rotted organic matter and fertilisers. For new gardens, new borders or the replanting of an established border, it is well worthwhile improving the soil before planting.

 

 

Soil is made up of three basic types of particles: clay, silt and sand; it also contains the remains of decomposed organic matter (humus). The ultimate performance of soil is determined by the proportions of these ingredients. Collect a sample of soil from your garden; moisten it with water and rub a small amount between your finger and thumb. If it feels gritty and crumbly, it's got a high sand content, if it’s sticky and easily moulded then it contains a lot of clay.

 

Soil Types	Soil Improvement	Drainage	Compost
Leafmould	Digging		Green Manure

 

Soil Types

 

Soil Type	Identifiable By	Advantages	Disadvantage	How to Improve
Clay	Sticky when wet	Fertile | Produces good crops	Poor Drainage | Remains wetter and colder for longer | Heavy to cultivate	Add artificial Drainage | Dig in autumn to expose to winter frosts | Add a dressing of Lime | Incorporate farmyard manure
Sandy	Feels Gritty	Free Draining| Warms up quickly in Spring | Light to cultivate	Prone to drought | Goodness easily washed out	Add lots of farmyard manure | Apply fertilisers in spring and summer
Silty Loam	Feels Soapy	Well drained | Retains goodness | Not as heavy as clay | Can be fertile	Not as light as sandy soil | Easily compacted	Regular light dressings of Lime, well-rotted compost and fertilisers | Dig the ground in autumn
Stony	Contains lots of stones	Well drained | Dry in early spring	Dries out quickly in summer | Difficult to cultivate	Remove large stones from the surface | Apply farmyard manure and fertilisers just below the surface | Do not dig deeply
Chalky	Dark topsoil with white subsoil	Good for rockery plants	Sticky and soft in wet weather | Too alkaline for many plants	Apply farmyard manure and fertilisers just below the surface or try green manures Do not dig deeply
Peaty	Contains plant remains and has spongy texture	Easy to cultivate | Good for acid loving plants	Too acidic for most plants | Poorly drained	Ensure good drainage | Add generous amounts of Lime | Add loamy Topsoil

 

You will also need to consider your soil's pH which indicates the acidity of the soil. Most plants will be quite happy in a Neutral or slightly acid or alkaline soil with pH of between 6 and 8. If your soil is 7.5 or more then your soil is alkaline, a pH of less than 7 means your soil is acid and you will be able to grow plants such as Hydrangea and Rhododendron. You can easily test the acidity of your soil by using a simple Soil Testing Kit which is available at most garden centres, just follow the instructions on the box.

 

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Soil Improvement

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The best way to improve your garden soil is to increase the amount of humus it contains. This can be done by either adding well-rotted organic matter or by growing special green manures. Plants can also be given a boost by applying fertilisers. All soils can be improved by adding well-rotted organic matter; but the effects depend on the type of soil you have. On clay soil it aids drainage and aeration, on sandy soil if helps retain moisture and boosts fertility and on silty soil it helps prevent compaction. Organic matter is best applied either in autumn or spring.

 

Make your own Compost

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Composting can be as simple or as complex as you want to make it. The best part about creating compost is that it can consist of any organic material and we all have access to plenty of that every single day because it is produced by the lawn, garden, and kitchen.  

Compost is what happens when leaves, grass clippings, vegetable and fruit scraps, woodchips, straw, and small twigs are combined, then allowed to break down into a soil-like texture. Compost introduces and feeds diverse life in the soil, including bacteria, insects, worms, and more which support vigorous plant growth.

Compost is multi-faceted but not intended as a fertilizer. It offers only a relatively low proportion of nutrients, yet what it does is close to magical. In its finished form as mulch, it reduces evaporation, reduces or prevents weed growth, and insulates the soil from extreme temperature changes. Mulch also keeps the upper inches of the soil cooler in daytime, warmer at night.

Yet compost has humble beginnings. Common, easily accessible materials destined to decay together in a pile will give your soil the gift of minerals and other components it needs. The materials are indeed numerous. 

Regardless of the particular ingredients, making compost is akin to making bread or beer; soil-digesting bacteria like yeasts need warmth, moisture, air and something to feed on to keep them alive and growing. Almost all of the practical problems associated with making compost stem from too much or too little of those basic factors.

Compost is created from layers of grass clippings, leaves, weeds, kitchen scraps and, if available, farm animal manure. If you have meat eaters in your home, don't use their meat scraps, which will attract rodents. Also, do not use litter from your dog or cat; it doesn't break down properly and contains too many pathogens.

Over the years, composting has gotten a reputation for being a time-consuming job, but this is not necessarily the case. You don't need to build a big box or turn the pile every so often. A barrel, a hole in the ground or a pile on top of the ground is satisfactory.

The important requirement is to be sure the waste material is covered with soil, so it doesn't attract rats, other rodents or flies. You can build your layers directly on the ground, without any frame at all; if you use a container, be sure it is well ventilated.

The trick to successful compost is balancing ingredients high in nitrogen; fresh grass clippings, other fresh, green plant matter, most kitchen scraps - with those high in carbon; leaves, straw, dried grass, washed eggshells, wheat germ or other milled grains that have become too rancid or old to use, and any dried, brown plant matter. Too much nitrogenous matter yields an anaerobic, smelly pile. Too much carbonaceous matter results in a pile that never heats up. The ideal ratio is one part nitrogen to three parts carbon.

Start with a layer of small twigs, no large branches, a couple of inches deep; this will help your pile to breathe. Then, keeping in mind the 1 to 3 ratio of nitrogen to carbon, add a layer of mixed plant material. You may enrich the pile with horse or cow manure. These materials don't break down; they simply add nutrients to the final product.

Then lightly water the pile so it's evenly moist. Too much water will interfere with aeration; too little water and the pile won't ferment. If your pile sits in the open, you should pull a tarp over it before a storm, and then remove the tarp after the rain stops so the pile can breathe. An 8-inch layer of straw mulch spread over the top of the pile serves the same purpose.

Alternate layers until the pile is 5 feet high by 5 feet wide by whatever length you choose. A properly made pile that is loosely packed and well aerated will reach an internal temperature of 160 degrees within a few days. It should smell like wet hay. If the pile fails to heat up, pull it apart and redo it by adding layers of fresh green matter. If the pile becomes anaerobic (is too wet to aerate), pull it apart, let it dry out, use it as mulch and start a new pile.

After three weeks, the pile will have shrunk in size; this is normal. Dig into the pile with a spading fork and completely turn it over until the contents are redistributed; the idea is to put unfermented particles in contact with those that are further along. Let the pile rest, so the temperature will rise again. Turn it a second time five weeks later, let it rest a few weeks and, with luck, you'll have a rich, crumbly pile of "black gold."

Also, air is vital to any composting process. Without air (anaerobic) composting is possible but unpleasant with the putrescent of rotting material assaulting your nose. It is usually because there is too much nitrogen and too little air in the mixture. If you have an abundance of trees on your property, autumn leaves can be plentiful and messy, but they are there for your use and can be easily gathered and stored in leaf bags.

Timing is crucial. Your pile is fully composted when it fails to heat up after being turned. Then it is ready to use. And use it with a good feeling, for it is your garden's natural fuel. Remember your objective, the foundation of every successful garden, is to achieve healthy soil.

Compost supplies the soil with a rich, friable source of humus and helps retain moisture in the garden, in addition to supplying valuable nutrients. By placing grass clippings, fallen leaves and unused plant parts in a compost pile, you are preparing them, through decomposition, to be put back to work for you.

Composting actually recycles garden waste and returns the nutrients that have been taken from the soil. By using organic composting agents, it is possible to speed-up the process of decomposition.  

Make your own Leafmould

 

Autumn can be a lovely time of year but the work involved in clearing up all the dropped leaves can be a chore each year. However, there is a benefit to be had – they make a fabulous free source of organic matter. Leafmould is ideal for use as a soil improver, mulch or potting compost. Simply fill black polythene bags with wet leaves and tie a knot in the top. Puncture a few holes in the sides and place the sack behind the garden shed for a year. Next autumn the rich organic material can be used to improve the soil and mulch the surface after planting.

 

Drainage

 

Poor drainage is a plant killer. Stagnant water around the roots starves them of air. Helpful bacteria is slowed down and harmful bacteria flourish. To test how good the drainage is in your garden carry out the following test. Dig a hole 2ft square and 2ft deep at the lowest part of the garden. Check after heavy downfall: If after an hour there is no water in the hole it means excessive drainage the addition of humus is essential. If after a few days there is no water than this is ideal, no help is needed. If after a few days there is still some water present then the drainage is poor, use one of the cultural aids detailed below. If after a few days the hole is partly full then this means that drainage is impeded and artificial drainage is required.

 

Digging

 

Digging breaks up compacted layers in the soil helping drainage and aeration. You can also take the opportunity to incorporate organic matter. The important thing is to do it at the right time, when the soil is not too wet or too dry.

Simple Digging

• This is the basic form of digging
• Use a spade and push it into the soil to the full depth of its blade
• Lever back and turn it onto the same area
• Chop up large clods and remove perennial weed roots by hand
• Good for most soils and for removing perennial weeds

Single Digging

• Create a trench with the soil placed to one side
• Add a layer of well-rotted organic matter to the bottom of the trench
• The next trench can be dug, turned and thrown forward on top of the organic matter in the first trench
• Repeat until the entire plot has been cultivated, filling the last trench with the soil from the first
• Good for poor soils and for removing perennial weeds

Double Digging

• Create a trench with the soil placed to one side
• Use a garden fork to the full depth of its prongs in the bottom of the trench to loosen the subsoil and break up any compaction
• Add a layer of well-rotted organic matter to the bottom of the trench
• The next trench can be dug, turned and thrown forward on top of the organic matter in the first trench
• Repeat until the entire plot has been cultivated, filling the last trench with the soil from the first
• Good for poorly drained soils and deep-rooting crops

 

 

Green Manures

 

Green manures are short-term crops that are specifically grown to be dug back into the soil, adding organic matter and nutrients. The main advantages of growing green manures are:

•     To help break-up heavy soils and improve drainage

•     To suppress weeds

•     To add organic matter to the soil to improve its structure and fertility

•     To help make nutrients available to plants that are grown in the soil afterwards

•     To prevent nutrients being washed through the soil in winter

•     To protect the soil from compaction caused by heavy rains

Green manures can be either broadcast sown (thrown randomly) or sown in rows. Prepare the ground as you would for any other crop. Just as soon as a green manure has put on some growth it is worth digging in. However, the longer you leave it the greater the benefits. Most green manures should be dug in before they flower and set seed or before the stems go woody. Dig the green manure into the top 6ins of soil. This is where it will decompose most quickly. Cut the green manure a few hours before digging so that the top growth wilts. Use a sharp spade, shears, nylon-line trimmer or even a rotary mower to chop down the green manure, and then incorporate everything (including the roots) into the soil as you dig. Leave three weeks after digging in a green manure before planting or sowing the same ground.

 

The main drawback with green manures is that nothing else can be grown in that area whilst it is growing so it is best to choose an attractive, useful plant such as Lupins. There is a range of good green manure crops; which you choose will depend on when you intend to sow it and how long you are prepared to leave it growing before incorporating it into your soil.

 

Common Name	Latin Name	When to Sow	Growing Time	When to Dig In
Alfalfa	Medicago sativa	Late Spring	3-24 Months	Any Time while Fresh
Buckwheat	Fagopyrum esculentum	Spring to Late Summer	2-3 Months	Any Time before Flowering
Alsike clover	Trifolium hybridum	Spring to Summer	2-24 Months	Any Time while Fresh
Crimson clover	Trifolium incarnatum	Spring to Summer	2-6 Months	Just before Flowering
Essex red clover	Trifolium pratense	Spring to Summer	2-24 Months	Any Time while Fresh
Fenugreek	Trigonella foenum graecum	Spring to Summer	2-24 Months	After Flowering before pods develop
Fava beans	Vicia faba	Autumn	4 Months	Any Time before Flowering
Italian ryegrass	Lolium multiflorum	Early Spring	2-3 Months	Any Time before Flowering
Lupin	Lupinus angustifolius	Spring to Early Summer	2-3 Months	Just before Flowering
Mustard	Sinapis alba	Spring to Early Autumn	Up to 2 Months	Any Time before Flowering
Phacelia	Phacelia tanacetifolia	Spring to Early Autumn	2-6 Months	Just before Flowering
Rye	Secale cereale	Late Summer to Autumn	4-6 Months	Just before Flowering
Trefoil	Medicago lupulina	Spring to Summer	12 Months	Any Time while Fresh
Winter tare	Vicia sativa	Spring to Late Summer	2-6 Months	Any Time before Flowering