Improve your soil

1. Assess your soil

Soil assessment is vital, and there’s a simple way to work out whether your soil is sandy, clay-based or loamy. Visit ABC Gardening Australia to see Tino Carnevale test for a perfect ball of loamy soil. Test a few spots around your garden, as soils can vary. Once you know what you have, you can make amendments, if needed.

In urban areas, if you plan to grow food plants, be aware that not all soils will be safe for growing produce, due to chemical residues, pollution and contaminants.

2. Improve your soil

If you’re planting local native plants into local ‘virgin’ soil (natural soil not affected by building works or housing development), you may not need to improve the soil. For vegies, soil improvement is an ongoing job, and it’s wise each time you plant a new crop to also add organic matter, such as compost or aged animal manures. Ultimately, the quality of your crop will be in direct proportion to the quality of the soil, so put in the ‘groundwork’, and don’t take short cuts, even if it means delaying planting.

If you have very sandy soil, the good news is you’ll have excellent drainage; however, your soil will dry out quickly. In the vegie patch and other beds requiring greater moisture retention, regularly work in some compost and aged manures, or add them as a surface dressing. Moisture-holding clays, such as bentonite or kaolin, will also help; add them in small amounts over time, and mix them in well.

For poorly drained clay soils that are hard, wet and barely workable, focus on growing plants that are adapted to the conditions, including those that are native to your area. Plants that need better drainage can be grouped in shared beds. Apply gypsum to the area at 1kg per square metre, and work it into the top 15cm of clay. Rake it level, then add a 20cm layer of free-draining loam to the surface – don’t dig it into the clay.

Header image by Fiona Walsh