The Ideal Soil Type: Loamy
Loamy soils are what gardeners strive to have. This soil type contains a balance of all 3 soil ingredients:
- Silt
- Sand
- Clay, as well as humus
The pH and calcium levels will be higher because of its organic matter content. Loamy soils are dark and mealy, soft, as well as dry. This soil type will have a tight hold on water and plant food, but it should drain well. Air should move freely in the soil all the way to the roots.
You can test your soils by taking a handful and squeezing it like a stress ball.
Loamy soils will be smooth, have partial grit and form a sticky ball that will crumble easily. Although loamy soils are the ideal type of material to work with, fret not if you don’t have it in your garden. With the Gardner & Bloome soils and additives, you can get your soils to match what your plants need. There are many way to condition your soil. You can add beneficial soil inoculates, cover your soil with compost, or simply spray leaves and soil with compost tea.
A Soil Experiment:
If you would like to find out what soil type you have, here is a simple way to find out.
Fill a small jar with soil from your garden. Take samples from more then one place in your planting area. Shake the jar vigorously, then let the soil rest and it will settle overnight. The next day you should see the layers of the soil. Sand will be at the bottom, clay at the top and silt in between.
Stay tuned for more blog posts! In the meantime, try the jar trick and send us what type of soil you have and how you are managing the soil.