Basic Soil Types

BASIC SOIL TYPES

There are some basic soil features you should understand. Don't worry; there are just a few of these to remember.

Sandy soil is warmer and dryer than most soils. It is often acidic and too low in nutrients to grow things easily. The best part about sandy soil is that it drains well and is light when you work with it. Because it is hot, it will dry out faster than other soils. You can beef up the nutrient content by adding organic material to it.

Clay soil is high in nutrients and heavy it stays wet and cold during wintertime but dries out in the summertime. Clay holds a lot of water that drains slowly. It is hard on gardeners because it can crack in the summer and doesn't warm up very fast.

Silt soil is light in color and retains moisture with a great deal of fertility. It has a mixture of well-draining and moisture-holding materials. The downside is that it will wash away more easily if it is rained on. You can make it more fertile by adding organic material to get more clumps that will not wash away as easily.

Peat soil is very high in organic material. It also retains moisture well. It is rarely found natively in any garden, but can be added to a garden, or created with a composting bin. It is extremely fertile for planting.

Chalk soil may be heavy or light; the calcium carbonate makes it an alkaline soil. These are too alkaline for certain plants but not for others. You can acidify chalky soil except if you see too many white lumps in it; these cannot be acidified.

Loam soil is a combination of sand, silt, and clay-type soil to make it fertile and easy to drain. You can refine them to have a greater combination of any of these three things, depending on what you are looking for.