Gardening With Difficult Soils: More Tips

Last time we talked about using compost, double digging, mulching, and building raised beds to improve heavy clay soils. These techniques also improve sandy soils. However, sand can be even more challenging than heavy soils because it contains and holds fewer nutrients and drains too quickly, leaching out nutrients with it. As a consequence, this soil type requires more fre-quent watering and fertilizing than other soils. To improve sandy soils, incorporate lots of organic matter, as well as heavy clay soil. When bringing new soil to an area, don’t just stick it on top of the existing soil, but mix it with the first few inches of the soil you have. This prevents formation of an “interface,” a barrier between two dissimilar soils, which can prevent upward and downward movement of water.

The use of “cover crops” can improve any type of soil by adding considerable amounts of organic matter, loosening “tight” soils; which, in turn, improves root penetration and oxygenation, increasing nitrogen, eliminating weeds, increasing earthworms and microorganisms, bringing minerals from down-deep up to the surface for use by other plants, and increasing the amount of water held in the soil. Also known as “green manures,” these crops are usually a mixture of grasses and legumes, which take nitrogen from the air and “fix” it into the soil. Talk about magic! This is accomplished by small nodules that develop on the roots and are nitrogen fixing factories. When the plants are incorporated into the soil and break down, the nitrogen is released and becomes available for use by other plants.

Cover crops can be planted in fall to grow over winter and be plowed in about one month before spring planting time. This period is necessary to allow the plant matter to break down, as it may interfere with the growth of some plants while it is in the partially broken-down stage. Some cover crops may also be grown during the summer months and plowed in. Buckwheat is an example of one that grows in warm weather, provides considerable organic matter and can be dug in after only a couple months of growing. Because it reaches maturity so quickly, two or three crops of it can be grown during the summer; this will make an amazing difference in soil texture and water-holding capacity. Buck-wheat also attracts bees and other beneficial insects to your garden.

Consult the Peaceful Valley Farm catalog for a complete discussion of cover crops suitable for various soil types, seasons, nitrogenfixing abilities, etc. This catalog contains a wealth of information on many topics of interest to gardeners, including natural pest management, season extenders, and organic amendments.
To obtain a catalog, call 1-888-784-1722, or visit their website:
Happy Growing!