To improve the structure of the soil digs in lots of bulky organic matter each year. In a good loam the soil is made up of crumb-sized pieces that can be seen by the naked eye. The spaces between the crumbs provide channels for aeration and drainage. This structure helps to maintain water and nutrients within the soil. On sandy and salty soil the addition of humus coats the soil particles to form crumbs. On clay soil it works conversely and helps to break down the solid clods into a crumb-like structure.
A good worm population is a sign of a good soil. Worms consume fresh organic matter, breaking it down and release nutrients which are immediately available to plants. At the same time their burrows through the soil create aeration and drainage channels. Organic mulches improve the soil.
To keep rise soil in good condition once you have put in your plants, add compost, manure and other organic matter as-a thick layer of surface mulch. It will gradually be worked down to continue to improve the structure. Mulch also helps to prevent the soil from drying out, and suppresses weeds. Mulch when the soil is damp or the material will draw water out of the soil
Apply lime to improve the structure. Also dig in a good supply of coarse sand or grit as well as plenty of compost and manure. Do not be sparing with quantities, rather deal with one smaller area at a rime.
Sources of Organic Matter:
Horse, cow or pig manure
Garden compost
Compost from municipal waste
Treated sewage sludge
Spent mushroom compost
Fresh, dried or composted seaweed
Composted straw
Spent hops
Quantities to use annually
Manure: 5.5 kg per sq m /10 lb per so yd
Good compost: 2.5 kg per sq m/ 5 lb per sq yd or 1 barrow load per sq m/sq yd
For healthy growth plants need a wide range of nutrients in the soil. By annually digging in bulky organic matter, the soil should remain fertile. Mulching the soil throughout the growing season helps to improve the soil's fertility. At the start of a soil-improvement plan the soil may be deficient in some nutrients and quantities take some rime to build up using this method. In a small garden, planting has to be concentrated, and extra nutrients may be necessary.
The most important nutrients are nitrogen, which aids growth and gives leaves their green color, phosphorus, for strong root growth, and potassium (potash), which affects the size and quality of flowers and fruit. Nitrogen is likely to be in short supply as it is washed out of the soil and not replenished in cold, wet weather. By digging in bulky organic matter phosphorus and potassium levels should remain high potassium deficiency is more likely to occur in light, sandy soil or chalk, and phosphorus deficiency in heavy clay soil or peat.
General fertilizers that contain the three main nutrients
Organic Blood, fish and hone, seaweed meal, liquid animal manure Inorganic Grown-lore formula and slow- release fertilizers that are released over a period of time, plus controlled- fertilizers that are regulated by the soil's temperature
For nitrogen deficiency
Organic Rock potash, dried blood, liquid seaweed, hoof and horn, fish meal
Inorganic Nitro-chalk, Ammonium sulphate (but makes soil more acid)
Trace elements such as iron, zinc, copper manganese and boron arc also vital to plant growth. Very alkaline or limy soils can reduce take up of these important elements.
Fertilizers can be powders, or a concentrated liquid to be diluted. Once diluted, the liquid is watered onto the ground around plants. If the soil is dry, water it first. Liquid fertilizer can also be used as a foliar feed, applied in the evening or in dull weather, by spraying the plant's leaves thoroughly.
On bare soil apply dry fertilizer by first dividing the ground into 90 cm/3 ft squares. Spread the fertilizer as evenly as possible.
On established plants scatter the fertilizer around the plant to feed the roots, keeping it away from the stem.
Lightly hoe in the fertilizer and water the area, unless rain is forecast. This makes it available more quickly
