Playing in the Mud?

Mud puddles, mud pies, mud wrestling. Digging for gold, digging to China, digging for pirate's treasure. Down and Dirty, dishing the dirt, dirt baths. Isn't it amazing how often English speakers mention the soil beneath our feet?

But what does the average person know about their own dirt? Oh, you may realize that you're fighting clay soil (it's hard to miss when the hot summer sun turns the garden into a huge rock-hard paving tile). Or you may have shoveled into so many rocks, your shoulders ache every summer evening. But what makes GOOD soil and what can you do to make your garden the envy of the neighborhood?

You may have figured out that something's wrong if you've been watering at the recommended amount (1-1/2" per week in the growing season and deep soaking about every six weeks in the dormant season) but your plants are yellowing, wilting and have damage without any obvious cause. The horticulture experts agree that you probably have poor soil in your garden.  The good news is, it's relatively simple to fix!

Did you like playing in the mud when you were little? Squishing it, dripping it, even throwing it - the perfect mix of dirt and water made it so satisfying. The same is true for our plants: the correct balance between air, water and soil will support the plants and deliver the nutrients they need.

How "good" soil holds water

Good soil, simply put, looks like a household sponge, letting water deep into the 'pores' and slowing it from passing through before the plants can use it.

Water "pooling" on top

Poor soils are either so hard that the water runs off before soaking in, or are so loose (sandy or have debris in them) that water flows too quickly through the soil. Here in Central Oregon, we generally have sandy soil with a balanced Ph (not too acidic, not too alkaline) but too loose for nutrients to stick around for long.

Living in a rural environment, we're lucky to have farms and ranches. The urban gardener may think of garden amendments as products in big plastic bags at the store but we country folks usually can get our hands on a big ol' pickup truck and haul some (horse, cow, llama, chicken) manure from a friendly neighbor who has more than he/she can use. A couple loads mixed into any soil every few years will make your plants happier than anything else you can do. And building a compost pile of grass cuttings, fallen leaves, deadheaded flowers and seedless weeds will create a perfect soil amendment free of charge, right in your own backyard.

I'm barely scratching the surface (see what I did there?), but you can learn so much from these great  Extension Service publications:
 https://catalog.extension.oregonstate.edu/sites/catalog.extension.oregonstate.edu/files/project/pdf/ec1561.pdf
http://extension.oregonstate.edu/deschutes/sites/default/files/ec1503.pdf

Happy Summer and don't forget your sunscreen!