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Broadfork

I’ve done a couple of soil texture tests on the new plot. I was pre-warned about having clay soil and it’s not at all which shows it’s good to test (details in the alt text).

One bed is a silt loam and a sandy loam in another so I already know this is where next year’s carrots are going.

I’ll do one more test of the most recently cleared bed where the previous plot holder had their greenhouse. I’m expecting that to be a loam, it’s wonderfully friable.

A glass jar with a profile of a soil sample. The top layer is the rainwater level. It has organic matter floating on the top surface. The next layer of clay is light brown in colour. The next layer is a darker brown silt layer and the bottom layer is the larger particles of sand. By measuring the depth of each layer it comes out as 53% sand, 28% silt, 19% clay. Using a soil texture chart for comparison this is a sandy loam. The soil sample is collected from a selection of the top 15 cms of soil and is dried for 24 hours before being crushed and added to a jar. Rainwater is added and the contents are shaken well and then allowed to settle. The sand layer settles within minutes, the silt within an hour and the clay within 24 hours.
Dec 06, 2024, 09:21 AM·Public·Ivory for iOS
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Richard Rollinson

@Broadfork I'm going to have to try this when things thaw out enough for me to take some samples. Can you point me to any soil texture resources?

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Broadfork

@richrollgardener An internet search will give you your pick of a soil texture triangle. This graphic is reproduced courtesy of @KeithDJohnson

The link below has lots of information from Vidacycle, a UK based company, on soil assessments and doing practical tests we can all easily do.

soils.vidacycle.com/wp-content

Two soil texture chart triangles. The left hand side triangle is the usual with percentage of clay on the left, percentage of silt on the right and percentage of sand on the base. Where the three percentages for your soil intersect determines the soil texture. Textures vary from clay, silt and sand to sandy clay, sandy clay loam, sandy loam, clay loam, loam, silt loam, silty clay loam, silty clay. The right hand side triangle is the same but with different names for the soils from fuck this shit, gritty as shit, play doh, pretty sweet, not bad but you’ll still complain, carrot heaven, dry as shit, pretty good shit, could be worse. My soil samples came out as carrot heaven and pretty good shit.
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Pollinators

@Broadfork @richrollgardener @KeithDJohnson. I see the carrots get their own soil classification but not the garlic.

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Chill

@Broadfork Clay soil has lots of benefits that get overlooked. It holds moisture AND nutrients very well. The problems occur if the clay soil isn't well drained, or if it needs to be trafficable to machinery. Otherwise it's not too bad.
(We're in an area of deep clays underlying a very thin soil layer. The biggest problem we have is structural work: it's classified 'highly reactive' so has unbelievable shrink/swell amounts).

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Broadfork

@colhill I agree. I’d personally much rather have a clay soil than a sandy soil for instance provided there’s no compaction layer that needs breaking up. All soil types are improved by adding organic matter.

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