CREATE ORGANIC SOIL, IMPROVE SOIL QUALITY.

The soil and its texture, water retentive properties, pH, nutrient content, trace elements and micro organisms and fauna are all crucial to the growth of healthy vegetables and plants. Hardly anyone starts out with perfect soil, but the type of soil can be improved over time.

pH Values

Soil is classed as either acidic, neutral or alkaline. This range is measured on what is called the pH scale where a balance of pH1 is very acidic through to pH 14 which very alkaline. Neutral soil that does no err on the side of acid or alkaline is pH 7.

It is possible to buy a home kit to test the pH value of your soil. As the Ph value has a tremendous impact on the crop then it is worth doing before you start. The test has a corresponding colour chart, so it is easy to see what is going on. Results that are red, orange or yellow are acidic with a pH below 7, green is neutral pH 7, blues and purples are alkaline have a pH above 7.

What Type of Soil is in my garden
Soil is made up of particles which are pieces of sand, clay, organic matter, silt etcetera and when these are all clumped together they become soil, but soil is rather more than dirt. These particles vary in size, the largest particles are sand and the smallest are clay. All the types of particles bond to make a composite soil, what type is yours.

Clay soil

Heavy Loam

Medium Loam

Sandy Loam

Sandy Soil

Chalky / limestone soils

Peat soils

Clay Soil

CLAY SOIL pH 7 or neutral

These are the tiniest grains of soil, and they fit together with little room for air pockets. When a clay soil is wet it sticks together to other pieces of clay and makes a solid mass which holds water, it often feels sticky and greasy to the tough. This means that the water cannot drain away, they do not get aerated because they cannot hold air and it holds the Winter chill in for longer because the sun finds it harder to warm. Although there is often a lot of nutrients in a clay soil they often don't reach the plants. When clay soil drys out it does so in a solid clump which is so hard it is difficult to break down in your hand.

SANDY SOIL

Sandy soil consists of large particulate matter, with plenty of air pockets between them, and because they do not stick together the water drains through quite easily. Unfortunately this leads to a side effect of leaching of the nutrients as the water gushes through it brings all the nutrients out of the soil, which means that sandy soils are often poor in nutrients and acidic. Sandy soils are eponymous as they are light in colour and look like sand. They are soft and easy to dig and hold the heat well in spring, but the downside to that is that by the time summer comes they are often dusty.

CHALK SOIL
Chalk soils are often pale in colour because of their chalk content, they tend not to be deep and are poor in nutrients. They tend to be like clay and clump together when wet but are hard and lumpy when dry.

PEAT SOIL
Although peat souls tend to be rich in nutrients they are often too acidic for most plant life and are often waterlogged.

LOAM SOILS
Loam soils vary in composition, but the best loams have a good balance of sand, clay, organic matter and nutrients, there colour is rich and deep and they are crumbly in texture and consequently easy to work with. Generally they have good drainage.

IMPROVING YOUR SOIL QUALITY
Organic matter such as well rotted compost, top soil, manure, or seaweed can be dug into to improve the composition of sandy soils. It strengthens the structure and aids water retention which create a healthy environment for all the beneficial soil organisms. Although adding compost or top soil increases the nutrient value of the soil is does not mean that additional feeding may not be necessary.

Adding to your soil can change the pH value of the soil temporarily, you can make it more acidic or more alkaline and whilst these changes are not forever you can repeat the steps. Wood shavings lower the Ph value of soil and lime increases it.

Micro Organisms and Soil Fauna

Beneficial soil organisms include earthworms, some types of bacteria, fungi, some nematodes such as simple worms, some beetles, and protozoa. Healthy soil has a lot of earth worms. Harmful soil organisms include some nematodes, wire-worms, eel-worms and slugs, which are death to any healthy garden.

One of the most basic characteristics of soil is its composition. In general, clay is nutrient rich, but slow draining. Sand is quick draining, but has trouble retaining nutrients and moisture. Loam is generally considered to be ideal soil because it retains moisture and nutrients but doesn't stay soggy.

To determine your soil type, take a handful of moist (but not wet) soil from your garden, and give it a firm squeeze. Then, open your hand. One of three things will happen:

1.It will hold its shape, and when you give it a light poke, it crumbles. Lucky you-this means you have luxurious loam!

2.It will hold its shape, and, when poked, sits stubbornly in your hand. This means you have clay soil.

3.It will fall apart as soon as you open your hand. This means you have sandy soil.
Now that you know what type of soil you have, you can work on improving it.

All organic matter eventually decomposes, but composting speeds the process by providing an ideal environment for bacteria and other decomposing microorganisms. The final product, humus or compost, looks and feels like fertile garden soil. This dark, crumbly, earthy smelling stuff works wonders on all kinds of soil and provides vital nutrients to help plants grow and look better. Decomposing organisms consist of bacteria, fungi, and larger organisms such as worms, sow
bugs, nematodes, and numerous others. Decomposing organisms need four key elements to thrive: nitrogen, carbon, moisture, and oxygen.

For best results, mix materials high in nitrogen (such as clover, fresh grass
clippings, and livestock manure) and those high in carbon (such as dried leaves and twigs). If there is not a good supply of nitrogen-rich material, a handful of general lawn fertilizer will help the nitrogen-carbon ratio. Moisture is provided by rain, but you may need to water or cover the pile to keep it damp. Be careful not to saturate the pile. Turning or mixing the pile provides oxygen. Frequent turning yields faster decomposition.is a cooperative project of:

Getting started

Many materials can be added to a compost pile, including leaves, grass clippings, straw,woody brush, vegetable and fruit scraps, coffee grouts, livestock manure, sawdust, and shredded paper. Do not use diseased plants, meat scraps that may attract animals, or dog or cat manure which can carry disease. Composting can be as simple or as involved as you would like, and depends on how much yard waste you have, how fast you want results, and the effort you are willing to invest.

Cold or slow composting

With cold or slow composting, you can just pile grass clippings and dry leaves on the ground or in a bin. This method requires no maintenance, but it will take several months to a year or more for the pile to decompose.Cold composting works well if you don't have time to tend the compost pile at least every other day, have little yard waste, or are not in a hurry to use the compost. Keep weeds and diseased plants out of the mix since the temperatures reached with cold composting may not be high enough to kill the weed seeds or disease-causing organisms. Add yard waste as it accumulates. Shredding or chopping speeds up the process.
To easily shred material, run your lawn mower over small piles of weeds and trimmings. Cold composting has been shown to be better at suppressing soil borne diseases than hot composting. Cold composting also leaves more undecomposed bits of material, which can be screened out if desired.

Hot composting

Hot composting requires more work, but with a few minutes a day and the right ingredients you can have finished compost in a few weeks depending on weather conditions. The composting season coincides be with the growing season. When conditions are favorable for plant growth, those same conditions work well for biological activity in the compost pile. However, since compost generates heat, the process may continue later into the Autumn or winter. Hot piles do best when high-
carbon material and high-nitrogen material are mixed in a 1 to 1 ratio.

A pile with the minimum dimensions of 3' x 3' x 3' is needed for efficient heating.For best heating, make a heap that is 4 or 5 feet in each dimension. As decomposition occurs, the pile will shrink. If you don't have this amount at one time, simply
stockpile your materials until a sufficient quantity is available for proper mixing. Hot piles reach 110 to 160 degrees Fahrenheit, killing most weed seeds and plant diseases. Studies have shown that compost produced at these temperatures has less ability to suppress diseases in the soil since these temperatures may kill some of the beneficial bacteria necessary to suppress disease.

Steps for hot composting

1. Choose a level,well-drained site, preferably near your garden.

2.There are numerous styles of compost bins available depending on your needs. These may be as simple as a moveable bin formed by wire mesh or a more substantial structure consisting of several compartments. There are many commercially available bins. While a bin will help contain the pile, it is not absolutely necessary. You can build your pile directly on the ground. To help with aeration, you may want to place some woody material on the ground where you will build your pile.

3.To build your pile, either use alternating layers of high-carbon and high-nitrogen material or mix the two together and then heap into a pile. If you alternate layers, make each layer 2 to 4 inches thick. Some composters find that mixing the two together is more effective than layering. Use approximately equal amounts of each. If you are low on high-nitrogen material, you can add a small amount of commercial fertilizer containing nitrogen. Apply at a rate of 1%u20442 cup of fertilizer for each 10-inch layer of material. Adding a few shovels of soil will also help get the pile off to a good start; soil adds commonly found decomposing organisms.

4.Water periodically. The pile should be moist but not saturated. If conditions are too wet, anaerobic microorganisms (those that can live without oxygen) will continue the process. These are not as effective or as desirable as the aerobic organisms. Bad smells are more likelky to emanate from a saturated pile.

5. Punch holes in the sides of the pile for aeration.

6.The pile will heat up and then begin to cool. Start turning when the pile's internal temperature peaks at about 130 to 140 degrees Fahrenheit. You can track this with a compost thermometer, or reach into the pile to determine if it is uncomfortably hot to the touch.

7. During the composting season, check your bin regularly to assure optimum moisture and aeration are present in the material being composted.

8. Move materials from the center to the outside and vice versa.Turn every day or two and you should get compost in less than 4 weeks. Turning every other week will make compost in 1 to 3 months. Finished compost will smell sweet and be cool and crumbly to the touch.

Common problems

Composting is not an exact science. Experience will tell you what works best for you. If you notice that nothing is happening, you may need to add more nitrogen,water, or air. If things are too hot, you probably have too much nitrogen. Add some more carbon materials to reduce the heating. A bad smell may also indicate too much nitrogen. Cold composting often proceeds faster in warmer climates than in cooler areas. Cold piles may take a year or more to decompose depending on the materials in the pile and the conditions. Adding kitchen wastes to compost may attract flies and insects. To prevent this problem, make a hole in the centre of your pile and bury the waste. Do not compost meat scraps, dead animals, pet manure, diseased plant material, or noxious weeds. Check on any local or state regulations for composting in urban areas- some communities may require
rodent-proof bins.

Vermicomposting

Vermicomposting uses worms to compost.This takes up very little space and can be done year-round in a basement or garage. It is anexcellent way to dispose of kitchen wastes. Steps for vermicomposting:

1.You need a plastic storage bin. One 1' x 2' x 3.5' will be enough to meet needs of a family of 6.

2. Drill 8 to 10 holes, approximately 1/4" in diameter, in the bottom of the bin for drainage.

3. Line the bottom of the bin with fine nylon mesh to keep the worms from escaping.

4. Put a tray underneath to catch the drainage.

5. Shredded newspaper works well as bedding. Rip into pieces and water well so that it is thoroughly moist. Place on one side of your bin. Do not let it dry out.

6. Add worms to your bin. Redworms are recommended for best composting, but other species can be used. Redworms are the common small worms found in most gardens and lawns. You can collect them from under a pile of mulch or order them from a garden catalog.

7. Provide worms with food wastes such as vegetable peelings. Do not add fat or meat products. Limit feed- too much at once may cause the material to rot.

8. Keep the bin in a dark location away from extreme temperatures.

9. In about 3 months the worms should have changed the bedding and food wastes into compost. At this time add fresh bedding and more food to the other side of the bin. The worms should migrate to the new food supply.

10.After a couple of weeks, open your bin in a bright light. The worms will burrow into the bedding. Scoop out the finished compost and apply to your plants or save for use in the spring.

Even the best of plants and bulbs will flounder if you do not choose the right kind of potting soil for your project. And potting soil is not only used in plants that you plant indoors, but potting soil is used for outdoor areas as well.

What plants are you growing?

Depending on what and where you are planting will determine what type of potting soil to use. For instance, if you will be planting azaleas, they love to grow in soil that is acidic. Different kinds of ingredients from potting soil can be added to the bottom of a hole before you plant or it can be added on top to give some nourishment to depleted soil. So when you were ready to plant, you would dig your hole for transplanting a few inches deeper than normal, or you can create your own. To make your own, you would need sand, mold a little manure and peat moss. Whichever way to go, you take the mixture and place several inches at the bottom of the hole, place the azalea inside, and cover with the remaining acidic mixture. This way your plant will have plenty of its soil of preference to grow and flourish in.

Types of potting soil.

There seems to be a special mixture for every type of plant. Cacti love loamy soil. Orchids require special nutrients to grow. Bulbs like a lot of bone meal to grow well. There are special mixtures to use in shady areas and recipes to use in full sun areas. And the list goes on and on. Following are some of the popular organic ingredients in certain types of potting soil:

* Humus - Humus is decayed organic material. It holds the moisture in the soil and provides nutrients and aeration at the same time.
* Manure - Manure is organic and odorless farm byproducts. Meaning, it is poop that has been refined so it doesn't stink, but still has all of the valuable nutrients for your plants.
* Peat Moss - Peat moss holds a lot of water in your soil mixture. It will keep the roots moist and provide aeration they need to grow.
* Sand - Sand provides material for easy drainage around the plant. Heavy rains will not saturate your plant and kill it since the sand works to filter it away quickly.

Other ingredients mixed in potting soil are considered inorganic. Some mixtures use wood chips, small sticks and charcoal in their mixes. There are also materials like Perlite and Vermiculite, which are silica based products made to hold moisture, used in potting soil mixes.

Making your own potting soil.

You can create your own potting soil recipes if you have a large yard or place to store the ingredients. The ingredients don't need to be stored inside, but you will want to keep them out of the weather elements like rain and snow. If they get saturated, the nutrients may seep out and be wasted before they are even used to plant.

Care of potting soil.

This seems like a funny statement - who takes care of dirt? You should, if you want healthy plants. No matter if you get dirt from a pre-mixed bag or if you use parts and create your own, it should be sterilized. Sterilization will kill any miscellaneous weeds or bacteria that could be harmful to your plants.

Sterilization can be done in small batches in the oven or it can be done under the summer sun. In the oven, you can fill a cookie sheet and bake at 200 degrees for 30 minutes and stir, then repeat. If you elect to do large batches outside, find a full sun area and spread your mixture evenly. After four weeks, turn it over and let it sit for another four weeks before use. The hot sun will kill any bacteria and weed seeds just like the oven does, it simply takes longer.

How to store potting soil.

Potting soil can be stored in its original bag if it can seal. The bag will keep moisture and rodents out, but has little breathe holes punched in for air. If your bag is too small or doesn't seal, place in a plastic container where rain can be kept out but it is still allowed to breath. A small hole or two on each since of the bin will work well. Store the bins or bags in a dry and dark or shady spot. Warm spots may make any unsterilized dirt grow weed sprouts!

Where to find potting soil

You can find pre-made specialty potting soil at any home improvement store, nursery or greenhouse. Potting soil can also be ordered online from gardening and specialty websites, but it may be pricey to ship. When the air is warm enough, use your potting soil to plant outdoors. Use it anytime to plant and re-plant houseplants as needed.

The Sustainable Vegetable Garden: A Backyard Guide to Healthy Soil and Higher YieldsThis introduction to bio-intensive gardening shows that it is not only possible but easy to grow astonishing crops of healthful organic vegetable and fruits, while conserving resources and helping the soil.

Jeavons and Cox offer a less technical version of Jeavons's best-selling book on biointensive gardening, How To Grow More Vegetables Than You Ever Thought Possible on Less Land Than You Can Imagine, published over 25 years ago. Written for both the beginner and the experienced gardener, this new book shows how to cultivate 11 commonly grown vegetables, calorie crops (beans), or compost crops in 100-square-foot plots using organic, soil-enriching methods. The authors discuss biointensive gardening theory, preparing garden beds, composting, starting seeds, growing crops, and collecting seeds. They offer detailed instructions and equations showing how to calculate how many seeds to plant to get the necessary seedlings to fill the suggested garden plans and suggest ways to customize garden plots. While the equations are easy to follow, the calculations and numerous charts may intimidate the beginner, who may also need more information on gardening techniques. Recommended especially for experienced gardeners interested in biointensive gardening.

More than 25 years ago, Jeavons wrote the best-selling How to Grow More Vegetables, which sold more than 350,000 copies in seven languages. It was a how-to book on high-yield, biologically intensive food-raising techniques. His new book, coauthored by Carol Cox, is a somewhat simpler book written for gardeners trying biointensive gardening for the first time. The focus is on the soil; and a good way to ensure sustainable soil fertility, the authors say, is the biointensive method of growing food. To achieve this, they give instructions and suggestions on what to grow; preparing biointensive beds, compost, and plating; growing compost crops, such as vetch, fava beans, wheat, and rye; and growing "calorie crops" (wheat, oats, dry beans, and corn). The authors make suggestions on companion planting--i.e., which crops to put beside each other for the best results. George Cohen