Experienced gardeners know that not all soil is created equal. The quality varies greatly from garden to garden and region to region. Your garden soil is usually the biggest factor in determining the success of your landscape planting projects. It makes sense to learn some basic information about soil and how to determine if it is a good fit for your plants.

What is Soil?

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All soil consists of minerals, organic matter, water and air. The type of minerals and the proportions of each element determines whether soil is good for your garden. The mineral component of soil includes sand, silt and clay. Sand consists of large particles that drain well, clay is made of very fine particles that tend to retain water and silt is somewhere in the middle. All three have value; loamy soil has all three present, containing slightly more sand and silt than clay, and is generally considered to be the best soil.

Organic matter in soil can be decayed leaves or other types of natural materials. Topsoil, which is the top layer of soil as found in nature, has a high percentage of organic matter. This helps with water holding capacity and increases the nutritional value of the soil.

Is Black Soil Always Good?

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There are very rare exceptions, but in general, dark brown and black soil contains a high percentage of organic matter indicating it will be good for your garden. Bagged topsoil or topsoil delivered in bulk from your nearest Van Beek’s location should be very dark and will contain composted material, which improves the soil quality.

Testing Your Soil

There are a couple of simple tests that will give you a general idea of soil quality. To test the drainage properties of the existing soil in your yard, dig a hole several inches wide and one foot deep. Fill the hole with water and wait. If it takes more than three or four hours to drain, your soil is going to need a lot of amendments and organic matter.

You can also check the general quality of soil with a simple hand test. Take a handful of soil and squeeze it. If it stays together, but crumbles when you poke it, the soil is loamy, which is good. If the soil falls apart immediately or stays in a ball and does not crumble easily, there is too much sand or clay present to qualify it as good.

Van Beek’s can also arrange for a more detailed analysis of your existing soil. This may be useful if your soil appears good, but you have ongoing issues with plant health. Your soil may have too much or too little of specific nutrients that affect plant health.

Our staff are like nutritionists for your garden. They know the telltale signs of poor soil quality and can help you develop a program to get your plants back to the healthy and vigorous state you’re used to. Contact us in Mississauga or Burlington and arrange a delivery of excellent quality soil today.