Light and sandy soil can be a gift to cultivate as it's easy to dig over and work on all year round. The downside is that it can become very dry during summer, which means some of the best plants for ...

One of the challenges that new residents (and seasoned ones) trying to garden in Florida come across is how to grow things in our dry sandy soils. There is more to it than applying lots of water and ...

Good soil is the starting point for a garden that grows well. It feeds your plants, holds water, and helps roots grow strong. If the soil is off, even the best seeds can struggle. Many gardeners focus ...

Sandy soil has its advantages. It drains well, is easy to dig in, and warms up faster in spring than clay soils. Choosing the right plants for sandy soil is important, though, since it doesn't hold on ...

There is a difference between mulching and amending the soil. Mulching involves placing a material such as pine straw, leaves or pine bark on top of the soil. Amending the soil implies the ...

I recently got a question from a reader about where to get good soil and compost. Part of her request was for “organic” soil and compost. The Spokane region is home to a wide variety of soils ...

Gardening can be frustrating if you don't have the rich soil your plants need. Here is how to enrich poor soil. More Americans than ever before are gardening. The National Gardening Association ...

There are some misconceptions surrounding how we deal with soil when gardening, and I thought I’d discuss a few in this week’s column: to add, or not to use, gypsum; dealing with dense clay; and ...

Soil is the foundation of every healthy garden, but not all soils are the same. Some hold too much water, while others dry out quickly. Some are full of nutrients, but others need a lot of care to ...

Of the tests to do before planting in your garden, a drainage test is among the best (and easiest). Try this quick drainage test to see if your soil is ready.

If all those bags at the big box store confuse you, here's how to determine what kind of soil you need for your garden project. Before I became a gardener, the differences among all the soil mixes ...