neighborhood garden for JUNE 28

neighborhood garden for JUNE 28, 2008

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what is well drained soil?

by george edgar

Many professional gardeners and horticulturists say to plant your tree, shrub, and other plants in “well drained soil”. What is “well drained soil”? Well drained soil is a term used by gardeners to describe soil in a flower garden or vegetable garden that is loose and allows water to drain out in a reasonable time so the roots of a plant do not drown. The roots of plants do not grow in the soil. They grow in the air pockets between the particles of dirt or sand. Plants need oxygen to grow. If the air particles are small because the soil is compacted such as in hard clay, they struggle to grow. If you over water so the air particles are full of water, the roots drown. If there are too many air particles and the soil is too loose such as in sand, the water drains too fast and the roots dry out.

In her article Preparing the Neighborhood Garden (March 13, 2004) Gladys said, “In general good growing soil is about 50% soil particles and organic matter, 25% air pockets, and 25% water pores. Clay soil is good but it has smaller particles which leave less room for air and water, both of which are necessary for roots to grow. Compost, which is organic matter, enters in here to create spaces and soak up water that would run off clay soil. Sandy soil is just the opposite. It has so many spaces your water and fertilizer runs through. Here again, organic matter will trap and hold them for the roots. It is almost impossible to have too much organic material in soil so start a compost pile to add to your garden. To add organic matter, you can also dig in leaves, manure, or grass clippings as deep as you can.”

To check the drainage of your soil, dig a hole 12 inches wide and 12 inches long and 12 to 18 inches deep. Fill the hole with water and let it drain dry. Refill the hole with water. If you have well drained soil the water will run out at the rate of about 1 inch per hour. If it runs out too slow or too fast, add organic matter. If you have added compost and it feels crumbly but the water drains slowly, you may have a hard layer of clay (hard pan) or a layer of rock, just under the top soil. The only way to correct this is to dig deeper and break up that hard pan that keeps the water from draining, or remove as much of the rock as you can. One cause of “Hard Pan” is running a tiller at the same depth year after year. The tines beat down on the soil and cause it to compact at that level.

When I started my garden a few years after we built our house, I made raised beds from railroad ties and double dug the bed. Double digging is digging a trench at one end of a bed and putting the soil aside. Then dig down another layer deep and also put that soil aside. Go at least two spade blades deep. Fill the bottom of the trench you have just dug with leaves, compost, or other organic material. Then move back and dig another trench putting that soil on top of the organic material in the first trench. Work your way to the end of the bed adding organic material in each trench. Finish off by putting the soil you set aside from the first trench at the end of the bed in the last trench. Some people double dig by just stirring up the bottom layer of soil. Adding good organic material in the bottom is better. This is a lot of work but it really makes for a well drained, healthy vegetable or flower garden bed.

If you don’t have a compost pile, NOW is a good time to start one. Many people say they don’t have room for a compost pile. Be creative. I made a circle from woven wire fencing about 3 feet in diameter and 3 feet tall. Make it easy to dump a bag of leaves into it. The end pieces were bent over to hold it together. Or you can buy plastic compost bins at any garden center. I have one at the end of each row in my vegetable garden. I pick up my leaves with the lawn mower and put them in the bin. I put in at least a foot of leaves, add a layer of green material such as grass clippings or coffee grounds, and then a 2” to 4” layer of soil or finished compost. Then I start over with another layer of leaves, another layer of green material, and another layer of soil, etc. If you don’t have much green material like grass clippings, add high nitrogen material like coffee grounds or lawn fertilizer. I do not pick up my grass clippings but I do get the coffee grounds from a local coffee shop. Coffee grounds have the same nitrogen to carbon ration as grass clippings-20 to 1. The next time you go by a Starbucks Coffee shop stop and pick up a free 5 pound bag of coffee grounds. They are packaged for you and ready to put in your compost pile. In the fall take the finished compost and dig it into your soil. Then start a new compost pile one with all the leaves you have and/or get from your friends and neighbors.

I plant miniature pumpkins, Acorn Squash, and Butternut Squash at the base of the compost piles. The compost bins feed the plants all summer. Last year I ended up with over 400 mini pumpkins, and enough Butternut Squash and Acorn Squash to last all winter. Be creative.

Once your garden beds are made, try not to walk on that soil or any soil that has just been dug, as it will compact and not be “well drained”. Use walkways. The walkways in part of my garden have shredded hardwood. I use the shredded hardwood because my son is generous and brings me some every fall. In my vegetable garden area, I have 3 feet wide raised beds with walkways covered with “weed barrier”, straw and/or carpet. I have a friend who owns a carpet store and he gives me used carpet that would otherwise end up in the landfill. The carpet usually lasts for at least three to four years before it disintegrates. Gladys uses gravel on her walkways as she feeds birds and squirrels year around on the walkways. Some gardeners use stepping stones or brick with a ground cover or thyme between the bricks/stones. Be creative.

For more information contact your Local County Extension Office. Or go on the internet to www.ianrhome.unl.edu/search. In the top box scroll down to “Extension”. In the bottom box type in the name of the plant, or the subject, or the number of the publication.