Types of soil for gardens and how to choose
5
Comments
Soil is a living breathing constantly
changing substance. The soil must have the ability to hold water and also
slowly release nutrients to the growing roots of the plants. During the growing
season the organic part of the soil is broken down by organisms living in the
soil. This happen if it has the soil has the proper water, air, microorganisms,
soil nutrients and correct temperature. Here are some important questions a
beginning gardener needs to ask.
 |
| Garden Soil |
Should I purchase organic soil? Do not let
the marketer confuse you. Organic soil is soil that has some organic material
in it. If you want soil that is produced without chemicals you need to purchase
Organic Certified Soil. This is organic soil produced from plant materials that
were not treated with pesticides, within standards set by an organic
certification organization. You can check with the certifying organization for
the details of the process and standards. If you want to eat truly organically
grown vegetables you must start with organically certified soil. Be prepare -
the organically certified soils will cost more.
How do I calculate the amount of soil I
will need? The formula is simple: The garden's length times the width times the
depth gives you the amount of soil you will need to purchase. Here are the
calculations for a typical beginner's square foot garden that is four feet wide
by four feet long and eight inches deep. Calculate by multiplying the width 4
ft. X 12 in. = 48 in. and Length 4 ft. X 12 in. = 48 in. Take the 48 X 48 = 2304
square in. Multiply the 2304 square inches X 8 in. deep = 18432 cubic in.
Finally divide the 18432 by 1728 [the number of cubic inches per cubic foot] =
10.7 cubic feet. For the non-math gardeners I have developed a simple
spreadsheet link towards the end of this article where you enter the length,
width and depth in yards, feet or inches and it will calculate the cubic feet
or yards of soil you will need for your specific garden space.
How do I compare prices among the different
produces or brands? Some manufacturers use cubic feet others use quarts and
others use pounds abbreviated as lbs. For the non-math gardeners the
spreadsheet link later in this article will also let you enter three different
products, the number of cubic feet or US Quarts per bag, and the cost per bag.
It calculates the total cost of each soil choice for your garden size. For the
gardener that loves math, here are the calculations for converting US quarts to
cubic feet. US Quarts X (57.75) cubic inches divided by the number of cubic
inches in a cubic foot (1728). Example for a 10 US quart bag: 10 X 57.75 cubic
inches per quart = 577.5cubic inches. Divide 577.5 by 1728 cubic inches in a
cubic foot = 0.334 cubic feet. When it comes to comparing ingredients in pounds
like cow manure you need to compare the percentage of moisture present.
How do I compare different bagged soil
ingredients? The Standard Soil Mix consists of â…“ peat moss, â…“ compost, and
â…“ vermiculite or perlite (a non-organic soil additive). This mixture is very
similar to bagged potting soil. Bagged Potting Soil provides great growing
material for you vegetables if you can closely manage the watering. When this
mix is moist you can squeeze a handful and it will easily crumble into small
pieces. Unfortunately this mix is expense, it tends to dry out more quickly in
the garden and it will quickly decrease in volume. Bagged Garden Soil is the
lower cost than potting soil and the watering of the garden is easier to
manage. This is my pick for the beginning gardener. Bagged Compost is dead
plant materials that have decomposed during an aerobic process that has reached
160 degrees F. This product varies a great deal among different manufacturers.
It sometimes lowers the garden soil pH and requires nitrogen to be added during
the growing season. It is less expensive than other products. Compost is a good
additive but it will have a high soil replacement percentage, and should not be
used as the only ingredient. Non Organic Soil Additives like perlite and
vermiculite are used to lighten or aerate the soil. It is expensive, and
increases the need for careful water management. Only use these produces in
combination with other soil additives. Peat Moss is a partially decomposed
ancient swamp material that is harvested from peat bogs. It loosens clay soil
and provides organic material to your garden. It has a high decomposition rate
and will lower you soil pH. This should only be used in combination with other
soil additives.
Soil is one of the biggest expenses when starting
a home garden. I highly recommend that beginners purchase a mid-priced prepared
bagged garden soil. Trying to mix you own individual ingredients may seem
cheaper but it is more difficult. In most cases the soil has been prepared by
an expert and has the proper nutrients, pH level and organic materials to set
you on the road to a successful vegetable garden.
this was amazing in this blog have many information
ReplyDeletevisit on our website in this website have many architectuere plan
https://cadbull.com/detail/171148/3-BHK-House-Plan-With-Furniture-Design-AutoCAD-Drawing-DWG-File
ZoneTech Education Providing online pendrive coaching classes courses for civil engineering, state assistant junior exam, dmrc, state assistant engg.
ReplyDeleteNice your post is very informative but you can find more here also The Civil Engineering
ReplyDeletetop 15 best plywood brands in india
ReplyDeletewhat is hail damage
water ponding
construction technology
column design
types of pavement
concrete screed
water pipe sizing charts
dutch gable roof
fly ash in concrete
Aw, this was a really nice post. In idea I want to put in writing like this additionally – taking time and precise effort to make a very good article… however what can I say… I procrastinate alot and under no circumstances seem to get something done.Alex Shcolyar
ReplyDelete