The Dirt on Soil

     The photo above is what I call a "Water Wise Flowerbed". The most important criteria for a flowerbed, vegetable garden, foundation planting, etc. to be "Water Wise" is good soil, period. When installing a new bed, there's no cheating allowed!

     Without great soil, you have no foundation to build on. Great soil is ALIVE. It has microscopic beneficial bacteria and other microbes that benefit your plants by breaking down nutrients and organic matter into a form more readily available for the plants to use. Great soil also has the perfect "tilth", or structure, so that water can penetrate and plant roots can explore the entire bed. In contrast, when you just amend the individual planting hole that you dug in our hard-packed red Georgia clay (and many of you not in Georgia have your own type of clay to deal with so this applies), you have just created a clay bowl with hard sides. When plant roots can grow out into the entire surrounding area, you have more feeder roots to take up water and nutrients. That makes a plant more drought-tolerant, whether it's touted as being a drought-tolerant species or not.

     A perfect example is azaleas. They are shallow-rooted, not at all drought-tolerant, and their delicate roots have a hard time penetrating hard clay. They also don't like "wet feet" which is a condition caused by periods of heavy rain, typically in winter, that cause roots to smother and drown in clay. Azaleas planted in a bed that has been entirely amended will always out-perform azaleas that are crammed into a small planting hole.

The photo at the top of the page is of a flowerbed in my yard that was tilled up and amended entirely before planting. When we went through 2 years of one of the worst droughts on record, I did not have to water this bed. Really, I didn't. I knew the bed was in great shape, but I was amazed at how well it performed.

Along with the great soil in this bed, I had also planted things that I knew didn't need pampering. (that's a criteria that a plant must have before it will live at my house!) So I planted Pink Velour Crepe Myrtle (my favorite variety, pictured above), pink Knockout roses, and violas in winter that are replaced with hardy summer annuals. I love dwarf Zinnias, Diamond Frost Euphorbia, and the dwarf Lantanas for non-stop summer color without any fuss.

     So what does great soil look like? And what is it made of? "Organic matter" is a loose term and often causes great confusion. Should I buy cow manure, Nature's Helper, or maybe Miracle Gro soil? And just what is "compost" anyway? How often have you asked yourself those questions?My answer is if you need a lot, buy bulk composted manure and topsoil. What the actual ingredients are that make up the soil can vary so don't fret too much about it. You'll get the best value by purchasing bulk material. One cubic yard of good bulk soil costs anywhere between $30- $60 per yard depending on where you live and lots of other factors. But that same "one cubic yard" purchased one bag at a time will cost you on average over $100 per yard! Be careful when purchasing "topsoil" as many places have their own idea of what topsoil is made of. I have actually had customers tell me that they ordered topsoil to be delivered and received fill dirt instead. Not at all the same thing. Not even close. Always know what you are buying. Look at it, pick some up and feel it, and always smell it. Good compost/topsoil should smell good and earthy. It should look like "black gold". And please, I'm begging you for your own good, DO NOT fall prey to those .99 cent bags of "topsoil" at the store. They are made up of junk that sets up hard as concrete once it settles and has gotten wet.

Below is a photo of what you should look for. Until next time, happy gardening and please visit my website at http://www.fullbloomnursery.com/ for more tips.

Now this is what I mean when I say "great soil"! This is a picture of a bunker of compost that we sell at our nursery. When you amend clay with it, you create "loam".