DIG RIGHT IN!
“You want to be planting into soft, cultivated soil that is mineral- and nutrient-rich so understanding your soil and good soil preparation is the first step”
Having decided what plants you want in your garden and where you want them to go, getting them into the ground is the next step. While planting is not an overly complicated affair, neither is it as simple as digging a hole, plonking in a plant and backfilling with soil.
You want to be planting into soft, cultivated soil that is mineral- and nutrient-rich, so understanding your soil and good soil preparation is the first step towards successful gardening. Not only does the soil need to be fertile and have adequate organic matter, it also needs the right pH balance for the plants you’ve selected. Some plants like alkaline soil, others acidic, and once you know the pH of your soil you can make it more alkaline or acidic as needed.
Some garden soil will need more preparation or remediation work than others. For example, while clay or heavy soils may have plenty of plant nutrients, they may have drainage and aeration problems in wet areas and be difficult to cultivate because they are sticky when wet and cake when dry. Lighter, sandy soils are easier to cultivate but they hold water and nutrients very badly. The ideal soil is “loam”, which falls between the two. The addition of organic matter helps break up clay soil and improves the nutrient level and water-holding capacity of sandy soil.
