COMMUNITY
Understanding the earth under your feet
S
cotland’s soil can be divided up into four main categories – clay, sandy, loam and peat. In addition there may be the odd occurrence of silt, which is normally found in river val- leys, and chalk, which is best described as a ‘Scottish rar- ity’.
For gardeners, knowing what soil type you are working with and adjusting either the soil composition, or the plants
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that you are anticipating to grow in it, can make the dif- ference between blooming success or frustrating failure. Investing in your soil is one of the most important aspects of growing vegetables, fruit - tial. A single teaspoon of soil can contain millions of micri- organisms, each contributing to a larger underground eco- system,
It has to be remembered that
whatever you grow will use the soil as a fuel reserve and therefore the supply of avail- able nutrients have to be re- plenished annually by the ap- plication of compost, manure or compound fertilisers. Clay is fairly easy to recog- nise – lumpy and sticky when wet, it is heavy to work with a spade, goes rock hard when dry and drains badly due to the tight-knit nature of the particles don’t allow much
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