Search - Articles

It can be much trickier changing the soil in a greenhouse trench than in a garden border. I’m lucky to have trenches with brick bases, but my heart goes out to anyone with borders glazed to the base. It's so easy to break panes when excavating soil

I'm passionate about growing garlic. I successfully grow lots of garlic at home, despite the fact that I garden on a very heavy, clay soil.Garlic thrives in a well-balanced soil that is fairly loose, so the bulbs can expand properly. It does less

Soil with a pH above 7 that produces a blue reaction when in contact with universal indicator solution (see pH). Alkaline soils are suitable for growing a wide range of plants, with the exception of those that are ericaceous or calcifuge (lime-hating).

A soil that has a high activity of hydrogen ions, which gives the soil a pH value below 7 and produces a yellow, orange or red reaction when in contact with universal indicator solution (see pH). Acid soils are suitable for growing ericaceous

-blasted, rain-lashed hill, albeit without any Heathcliff. I’m desperate to keep toasty but I can’t dig anything as the soil is too wet.I’m very lucky – my plot has a lovely, rich soil, well dug and manured by many a plot holder before me. But, like much

Digging and forking through the soil allows you to loosen any compaction, remove weeds and debris as well as providing the perfect opportunity to add the organic matter. Plants need good soil conditions if they are to give the best results

as well do a bit of forward planning of my crop rotations and get the relevant beds prepared.I'm really lucky with my soil - it's a rich brown loam, well-manured in decades past, with a tendency towards the stickiness of clay when wet. It's also a bit

Learn how to improve the condition of your soil by sowing rye seeds to create green manure, with Monty Don's video demonstration and advice.summer and autumnMore advice on improving soilHow to mulch beds and bordersFeeding plantsImproving soil

Soil typesYour soil type - sandy, loam or clay - determines which plant species you can grow. Knowing your soil type enables to you to choose the plants best suited to your garden. Soil type is identified the presence of clay, sand and silt

Toby Buckland makes a soil sieve (or riddle) for sifting out large lumps from soil, leaf-mould and compost, to leave you with a fine material suitable for seed sowing and potting mixes.You should aim to make your soil sieve slightly bigger than your