Soil Types

 Most vegetables like to grow in sunshine to mature, however most of us cannot choose if our gardens or plots are north or south facing. 

The perfect garden is not over shadowed by tall buildings or have large trees on or near them. Trees will rob your soil of moisture as well as goodness, which your growing vegetables will need.

The most important element on your plot is the soil. There are several types of soil which vary in their natural aspect and chemical composition.

Sandy soils: dry out quickly, warm earlier, which means this type of soil can be made ready and planted up sooner then any other. However, on the downside, this type of soil will dry out in a hot summer and will need a lot of building up to maintain a natural fertile growing soil.

Clay soils are very cold and dry out very slowly, which means late sowing, however in the summer, because of their water holding ability they will hold moisture longer then sandy soils.

Clay soils are very difficult to work and in a very hot spell, will crack and do not have a good structure to feed and grow vegetables.

Peat soils are good because they are mostly made up of organic decayed matter, they are, however, deficient in minerals. With the right management this type of soil can be made to grow great crops, particular of onions and celery.

Loam is the best soil, a natural mixture of clay and sand, together with decayed organic matter. Loam is very easy to work, deals with water and air in such a way as to grow good crops because plant foods are soluble and available for your plant.