Soil for Beginners

Healthy soil grows tastier veg and tougher plants. In 30 minutes you can learn your soil’s texture, ballpark pH, and the one habit that improves almost any bed: adding organic matter.

The Jar Test (Texture in a Day)

Soil texture (sand–silt–clay mix) affects drainage and feeding. The jar test shows you where you stand.

You’ll need: a clear jar with lid, teaspoon of washing-up liquid, marker pen, ruler, water.

1. Crumble 1 cup of soil into the jar, pick out stones/roots.
2. Add water to ¾ full + 1 drop soap. Shake hard for 1 minute.
3. Set the jar on a level surface. Mark three times: 2 minutes (sand settles), 2 hours (silt), 24 hours (clay).
4. Measure each layer depth vs total.
   • Sandy (>60% sand): drains fast, warms early, needs frequent feeds/mulch.
   • Loam (balanced): lucky you—keep it that way with compost.
   • Clay (>40% clay): nutrient-rich but slow to drain; avoid working when wet.

Local check (UK): Many UK gardens lean clayey, especially in new builds with compacted subsoil. Raised beds + annual compost solve a lot.

Quick pH: Strips or Meter

Most veg prefer pH 6.0–7.0. Outside that, nutrients lock up.

• pH strips/soil kit: Mix soil with distilled water (follow kit), compare colour.
• Cheap digital meter: Calibrate if possible; take several readings; average them.
• Adjusting:
  • Too acidic (<6): add garden lime in autumn/winter, retest in 6–8 weeks.
  • Too alkaline (>7.5): add compost, leaf mould, and sulphur (go slow); choose tolerant crops (brassicas are forgiving).

Organic Matter: The Always-Right Answer

If you remember one thing, remember this: feed the soil, not the plant.

• Add 2–5 cm compost to the surface each year—worms do the digging.
• Leaf mould: Bag leaves with holes; use in a year for moisture-holding magic.
• Green manures: Over winter, sow field beans/rye; chop and drop in spring.
• Mulch routes: Compost for veg beds; wood chips on paths and around perennials.

What to ask a farmer:

• “Do you sell well-rotted manure or spent mushroom compost?”
• “What’s the compost made from, and how mature is it?”

Drainage & Compaction: Quick Fixes

• Fork, don’t flip: Push in a garden fork and gently rock to open channels.
• Broadfork (if you have one): Aerates without inverting layers.
• Raised beds: Ideal on heavy clay or where pH is tricky.
• Cover, always: Bare soil loses life; mulch or sow a quick cover crop.

Seasonal Actions

• Autumn: Lime acidic beds, spread compost, sow green manures.
• Winter: Make leaf mould; plan bed rotations.
• Spring: Retest pH; top-up compost; avoid working wet clay.
• Summer: Mulch to reduce watering; feed with comfrey/seaweed teas if needed.