Looking Below- Evaluating the Quality of Your Soil
We learned how to take a soil core sample, and now we must learn how to evaluate the results of what the soil core is trying to tell us. If you learn how to read the signs properly, then you will better understand what the problem is and can zero in on the appropriate solution.
If your soil is light in color, sandy, loose or full of gravel, then the problem is that it is infertile soil that does not contain enough organic substances. As a result of this it will not retain water as it is supposed to in order to sustain plant growth. The solution is a relatively simple one- mix two to four inches of compost into the upper eight to 12 inches of your soil. After this is done you then will need to mulch the lawn and top-dress it.
If your soil looks blue or gray in color and is full of clay, then this will serve to keep the air out and will cause growth problems. Too much clay makes for very wet and soggy soil in the wintertime and a lack of hydration in the summertime. What you need to do is the same thing that was done with regards to the problem described above. Adding compost helps to open up soil that is laden with clay.
What about if your soil looks yellow, blue, black or gray and has a bad odor? If this describes your soil, then the drainage needs some help as the soil is too saturated. The solution is to install a subsurface drainage system. To optimize drainage for plants that cannot live without it, find a way to raise up your planting areas. Another option is to plant only those plants that can handle an abundance of water.
Worms and other types of creatures in your soil are actually beneficial because they aerate the soil and recycle the nutrients in it. If you have very few worms and the like, then you are probably using too much fertilizer or too many pesticides. These items can kills off worms. To fix this problem, simply ease up on your use of chemicals for your soil. Allow your soil the chance to breathe and live more naturally. Add some compost to your soil or apply half an inch of it to the top layer of the soil to help it bounce back to life!

Do you know what type of soil you have in your yard? What does the condition of your soil says about its health? One way to get better acquainted with your soil is to take a soil core sample. Doing so is similar to using a periscope of sorts to take a closer and more speculative look at what lies beneath your soil’s surface.
If you know anyone who has a lilac bush in his yard, then you probably have stopped by it frequently in late May and early June to breathe in the scent of its blossoms. It is a smell that I never grow tired of.
Does anything taste better than plucking a big juicy tomato from the garden and eating it with your evening meal? Or maybe you are so eager that you wash it and sample it still standing in the middle of your garden!
White vinegar is a cheap cleaner that is friendly to the environment and can be used for a variety of tasks in your lawn and garden. For example, when watering your azaleas, add a cup of vinegar to a gallon of water and then watch your flowers get brighter and more beautiful!
There is nothing more glorious than a rainbow of colors in your garden! The gladiolus fits the bill perfectly for this. It is a tall flower that produces large blossoms of a multitude of colors. Glads, as they are sometimes called, grow in colors of pink, white, orange, yellow, purple, peach and
Whether you live in a small apartment in the middle of a bustling city or a sprawling ranch style home in the country, container gardens that take the form of window boxes are an excellent way to grow flowers.
You always have been a flower gardener but have decided to break into the world of growing vegetables. Planting the seeds for your vegetables of choice is only the beginning. Next comes the stage where you need to tend to and nurture your precious plants, so that they will grow to be happy and healthy and, eventually, ripe for the picking!
Water is a precious commodity and finding ways to conserve it is always smart. Very often finding ways to conserve water involves making only minor modifications in the way you do things in your yard. Read on for some water saving techniques that are as eco-friendly as can be!