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Location

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Date Posted

Bethlehem CT

I think it would be interesting to take a survey and see the different types of soil growers have to work with. Ex. sandy loam, silty loam, clay loam etc. If you are unsure you can ID your soil by checking out this site http://websoilsurvey.nrcs.usda.gov/app/HomePage.htm. It is surprisingly accurate.

11/4/2009 7:30:56 AM

Bethlehem CT

I have Charlton-Canton sandy loam in my patch.

11/4/2009 7:32:06 AM

Long Island,New York

after patch prep your soil no longer resembles anything you'll ever find on a soils map. That soil on the map is just a native starting place.

11/4/2009 5:10:49 PM

Adams County

it does make a difference win it comes to watering. 1 " of water in sandy soil per week . is not the same amount of water in clay soil per week. no matter what the prep is . sandy soil will drain way faster than clay based soil. it does change with the adding of manure, compost and leaves. but it will take many years of adding ammendments to ballance out sand, and clay to make them equal.my opinion only...

11/4/2009 7:20:08 PM

Anamosa, IA BPIowegian@aol.com

My patch is mostly Chaseburg silt loam. I wish it were something else because of occassional flooding and cold air settles in the valley causing more frost. But the rest of my acreage is too steep or rocky for gardening. The soil survey will tell you a few more things, such as drainage, flooding, parent material,native vegetation, slope, etc. In my area that means a lot as our soils can vary a lot in a very short distance. Hardly a day goes by at work that I don't look at a soil map: I'm a soil conservation technician for NRCS.

LI is right, you can change your topsoil a lot through amendments.

Bill is right too; in some soils it can take a lot of work, time, and amendments to make a significant difference in the subsoil, drainage, water holding capacity, etc. The soil survey is a very good place to start.

11/4/2009 10:21:12 PM