[rusty100]

Hi all

Second year on my plot. Last year was spent weeding, tidying, planning, building etc...
What I want to know is will the soil need manuring or any other treatment before I grow in it come the spring? Is it worth doing one of those soil samples?

The soil is light and from chatting to neighbours was 'well worked' by previous tennants.

Thanks

[Trillium]

Sounds like you're basically in good shape soilwise. It never hurts to add a bit more old manure or compost to areas with potatoes, tomatoes and onions.

[Fisherman]

To find out the condition of your soil, simply put a sample of your soil in a jam jar, add some water and shake it vigorously. Leave the soil in the jar to settle. The sandy particles will settle first, then the smaller silty particles and, last of all, the clay. Eventually, you should get three distinct bands, with the clay soil band at the top, silt in the middle and sand at the bottom. If you have a high percentage of clay, this band will be wider than the rest. Any organic matter in the soil will float near the top. Ideal soil (loam), has roughly equal particles of each. This will give you a guide if you need to re-balance your soil.

[Salmo]

You could buy a simple pH testing kit to test the acidity. The cheap ones with tubes are best. Take lots of samples with a trowell about 6 inches deep. Put them all in a bucket and mix up well. Test a sample from the mix. Do this for each distinct part of your plot, for instance if one end is heavier soil or one part was mucked last year.

Avoid just putting on a few handfulls of lime because you think it might do it good. Too much lime, especially on light soils, can induce mineral defficiencies and encourage scab on potatoes.

As a broad rule of thumb light soils are usually short of potash and rich in phosphate and clay soils are the other way round. That is usually a good enough guidline for garden crops unless you have seen a particular nutrient problem.