Question

You need to know because it will affect when and how you plant and water your garden.Clay soil is very heavy when wet. It holds water and nutrients but stays wet and cool for a long time in spring, so you may have to plant your crops later than the standard recommended time. When it's dry, the soil can be as hard as cement, and naturally, plant roots don't fare too well in those conditions!Sandy soil is gritty and doesn't hold together well; water drains through it quickly. It's easy to plant in sandy soil, because it warms up and dries out quickly in spring, but it requires more frequent watering, and more added organic matter to keep crops from suffering nutrient stress.Loamy soil, which contains a relatively equal mix of clay, sand, and silt, is ideal for vegetable gardening.Reprinted from The Veggie Gardener's Answer Book Copyright 2008 by Barbara W. Ellis, with permission from Storey Publishing.