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what is well
drained soil?
by
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 between the particles of dirt or sand, in the air
pockets. 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,
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 vegetable 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, grass clippings, compost, manure, 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, this fall is a good time to start one. Many people
say they don’t have room for a compost pile. Be creative. When I started
to compost I made five small compost bins from woven wire fencing. They
were about 3 feet in diameter and 3 feet tall. One was placed in the
middle of a row in the garden. I planted miniature pumpkins for my
granddaughter on one side and Acorn Squash on the other side of the bin.
A second bin was also placed in the middle of a row and had Muskmelon on
one side and Patty Pan squash on the other. The other two compost bins
were at each end of a row. Planted on one side were two swan gourd
plants given to me by Gladys. At the base of the other bin were three
Butternut Squash plants. The compost bins fed the plants all summer. I
ended up with over 200 mini pumpkins, over 50 butternut squash, and over
30 acorn squash. The insects got my melons. I also planted potatoes on
the ground inside a small bin and then put about 3 inches of compost
over the top. As the potato vines grew compost was added. Harvesting was
easy. No digging. Just remove the bin and pull the compost away. I did
not count the potatoes. Start with just one compost pile at the end of a
row and plant flowers or vegetables next to the base. Be creative.
Now I have a
number of compost piles in my vegetable garden. In the fall I pick up my
leaves with the lawn mower and put them in a bin. I put in at least a
foot of leaves, add a layer of green material such as grass clippings,
and then a 2” to 4” layer of soil, finished compost, or coffee grounds.
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 many leaves
see if your neighbors will help you out. If you are short on green
material this fall like grass clippings, add high nitrogen material such
as coffee grounds or a handful of lawn fertilizer. The next fall take
the finished compost and dig it into your soil to loosen it up and start
over. Do not just layer the compost. Till or dig it in.
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” but
compacted again. Use
walkways. The walkways in
our flower garden have shredded hardwood. In the vegetable garden area
next door I have made beds and the walkways have “old used carpet” that
the owner of a carpet store gave me. 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 on composting contact your Local County Extension Office.
Or go on the internet to
www.ianrpubs.unl.edu/search.
In the box in the upper left type in the name of the plant, or
the subject, or the number of the publication. Recommended is NebGuide
G810-Garden Compost. Copyright 2013 |