[James1]

Peeps,

How do I know the soil I have is the right type for gardening ... and if it is not what can I do to make the soil fit for gardening. I ask this question because I have a relatively large
back yard and want to make use of it by doing some small scale gardening.


Any ideas?

[Yorkie]

Ooh that's a big question 

You will need to find out the soil type / structure, and its pH.

Soil types range from clay at one end (stays in a ball when you squeeze it) to sandy (runs through your fingers) via lovely loam (neither one extreme nor the other).  Adding organic matter (compost, manure, leaf mould etc) will always improve the structure.

pH can be found by using a test tube test from a garden centre (more reliable than a probe version).  Test in several different locations.

Different plants prefer different conditions, particularly garden plants rather than veggies.  You're ideally aiming for about pH of 6.5 (I think) unless the plant has more specific requirements.

Also take care not to garden into the subsoil - often a totally different colour to the top layer of soil.  The subsoil has no nutrient or structural value and plants will not grow or thrive.

Are you aiming to grow mainly veggies or plants?  If the former, I'll shove this thread over to Grow Your Own.