Always look online to see what kind of soils your plants require. Think about it. When we talk about our bodies and health – the environment is hugely important. Whether we are looking at the pH (alkalinity or acidity); whether we are looking at the nutrient availability – to support the immune system or to produce flowers, produce and seeds; whether we are looking at the elimination aka drainage for plants; etc. Well the same is true for plants. Different plants require different types of environments. So we are not going to get into great depth but lets look at the basics.
6 types of soils: clay, sandy, silt, peaty, chalky, and loamy
Clay
Sticky when wet, hard when dry, poor drainage capacity – add well rotted organic material in the fall and peat in the spring
- Great for perennials and shrubs: aster, bergamot, fruit trees, ornamentals
Sandy
Drains easily, dries out fast, warms up quickly in the spring, but requires organic material for growth – add compost, manure, organic muscles like straw, dried grass, deciduous leaves
- Great for bulbs: tulips, hibiscus and vegetable crops like carrots, parsnips, potatoes, lettuce, strawberries, peppers, corn, squash, tomatoes
Silty
Feels soft and soapy; holds moisture, rich in nutrients; great if drainage provided; mix in organic matter to improve drainage
- Great for shrubs, grasses and perennials and most fruit and vegetables
Peaty
Darker feels damp and spongy; higher level of acidity which slows down decomposition – leads to fewer nutrients; heats up quickly during spring; great when blended with organic matter
- Great for heather, which hazel, camellia, rhodos, and vegetables like brassicas (broccoli, Brussel sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, collard greens, kale and turnips) legumes, root crops, and salad crops
Chalky
Looks like a larger grain with more rocks in it; great for drainage; more alkaline – can lead to stunted growth or make leaves more yellow looking – which can be resolved with adding humus or acidity to the soils and a lot of bulky organic matter
- Great for lilacs, pinks, mock oranges and vegetables like spinach, beets, sweet corn, cabbage
Loamy soil
Good mix of sand, silt, and clay; fine textured and damp although good drainage; full of nutrients; warms up quickly in the spring but retains moisture so doesn’t dry out but needs organic matter regularly
- Great for climbers, bamboos, perennials, and vegetable and berry crops like but make sure you rotate crops
Notes to remember
- Most plants want a rich sandy loam – a mixture of all three
- Make soils more alkaline by adding lime versus sulfurs make them more acidic
- For more nutrients – rather than artificial fertilizers – find an organic farm; or one that has free run organic chickens, or grass-fed cows, or rabbits, or even organically fed horses – they all provide great nutrients for the vegetables
- In the fall, replenish your soils with legumes, buckwheat, or clover – which help to “fix” nitrogen into the soil – these are called cover crops. They go to seed and break down quickly
- If you compost your leftovers from the kitchen, in the fall lay a layer of composting, then a layer of leaves from the fall droppings; then a layer of organic manure – each layer helps the prior layer to compost effectively for the spring
- I make a chart of what I plant where each year – crop rotation is great for soils and particularly important for some vegetables like cabbage
- One thing I do periodically is dissolve Himalayan salt or sea salt in water (1 tbsp to 1 gallon of water) and then sprinkle it in the garden – salts can dehydrate plants; but the minerals are great for the soils if used sparingly. In addition, if too much it can kill helpful bacteria and microbes
https://learn.eartheasy.com/articles/know-your-garden-soil-how-to-make-the-most-of-your-soil-type/
Submitted by
Dr Holly
One Stop Mobile Health Shop
Choices Unlimited for Health & Wellness
Dr. Holly Fourchalk, Ph.D., DNM®, RHT, MH, AAP, HT
604.764.5203
holly@ChoicesUnlimited.ca
www.choicesunlimited.ca
