If you live where I do, in southwest
Missouri near counties with names like Stone, you might guess
(correctly), that good loamy topsoil is hard to come by. Most of the
soil, when you can find it, has a very high clay content that
compacts easily and can be a real trial for a vegetable plant to grow
well in. that why a lot of folk add all sorts of amendments and often
prefer raised beds where the soil is lifted up thus allowing the
spring sun to warm it faster that would otherwise be the case. This
picture, at right, is a good representation of what I'm talking about.
The clod of soil on the left is mostly composed of very fine grains
of clay and sand. It compresses easily and will form long sticky
ribbons when wet. Not the best of growing mediums. The soil on the
right, while not perfect, has organic matter in it and is looser as a
result!
Soil amendments do a number of good
things for sub-par soils; 1) they will improve the structure, by
increasing the ratio of air and water spaces to solid matter. This
allows your plants to 'breath' more freely. 2) they most always
include some form of organic matter like humus, a material that can
absorb and hold water during periods of dryness. And, 3) they promote
the rapid growth of fungi and bacteria that supply roots with the
needed nutrients to grow stuff like large tomatoes or bell peppers!
As a matter of fact, most everyone has such a great soil amendment
right in their homes... it's called
kitchen scraps! Anyone who
collects scraps can then add them to garden areas to help enrich even
a poor soil. Before you know it, earthworms will make an appearance
and then will stay – a sure sign of good soil fertility.
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