Improving Your Soil by Stu Campbell

Improving Your Soil

Sometimes, a little understanding and knowledge can go a long way. 

Take your garden soil for instance – you can devote multiple lifetimes to studying and learning all you can about soil, earning multiple degrees along the way, but you still won’t know everything there is to know about the soil in your garden. 

On the other hand, knowing just a few basics about your garden soil – what it is, how it acts, what is in it, and a little about the life in it – you can make good choices that will continually improve the health, fertility, and life in your soil. 

The great majority of garden issues we are asked about – pests, diseases, insects, and infestations – either arise or are made worse by poor soil health or fertility. Improving your soil just a little will return amazing results in better growth and tastier produce. 

This is an excellent introduction to your garden soil and the life living in it, along with solid tips on how to improve your soil year after year in easy ways. 

In this introductory guide, you'll learn several techniques to improve the soil.

See how to determine whether your garden soil is sandy, clay, or loam. Identify the right time to work your soil and discover how to take a soil sample. Learn how to improve difficult soils, such as soggy, sandy, compacted, or shallow soils and the use of soil amendments. 

Table of Contents

• A Little Background
• Where Soil Comes From
• What's in Soil
• Some Specifics
• Loam, Sand, Silt or Clay?
• Soil Life
• Earthworms
• Drainage: Managing Air and Water in the Soil
• Cultivation
• Simple Fixes
• Soil Testing
• Balancing Acidity and Alkalinity (pH)
• Nutrient Balance
• When to Improve Your Soil
• Soil Amendments
• Improving Difficult Soils 

From the soil to the seed to the food you eat - we'll help you grow your best garden!