Soil - Part II - Subsoil & Topsoil: Improving Your Soil

The resulting bed will be several inches higher than the surrounding ground. The bed will sink as much as 6 inches over the next couple of years as the soil settles. Keep this in mind if you are enclosing the bed with a permanent edging. Letting the bed settle for at least a year before planting and topping it up is the recommended procedure. I can never wait this long, so I firm the soil by laying a piece of plywood down and stomping on it. I plant all permanent plants, such as trees and shrubs, high, creating a mound around the plants to allow for their settling with the soil. If perennials sink after a few years, they can be dug and re-set. Most of them will be ready for division by then, anyway. I also keep a permanent mulch in place - wood chips, pine bark, chopped leaves - and I always add more organic material when planting anything to keep improving this new 'topsoil'.

pH is a measurement of soil acidity or alkalinity. It can range from 1 to14. Any number below 7 indicates an acid soil; above 7 an alkaline soil. Soil with a pH of 7 is considered neutral.. The great majority of plants will tolerate a wide range of soil pH. A few, Rhododendrons, Azaleas, Heathers, Blueberries and other members of the Ericaceae family come to mind, will simply not grow in anything but acid soil conditions, so you need to know your soil's pH range.

Soil also contains various nutrients, minerals and trace elements necessary for plant growth. The pH of the soil can determine whether these elements are available for your plants. Soil can be tested for pH and these other essential elements. For more on this, check out the article "Soil Testing For The Gardener" by Sara Williams on the University of Saskatchewan site. And, you shouldn't miss the marvelous article by John Mertus, about what makes a good soil - see my list ofl links to get there. See ya' later.

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