Growing Flowers and Good Soil
To grow healthy flowers, one of the most important items you’ll need is good soil. You can’t have a successful garden without it. Most people don’t think much about their soil other than as an area with dirt that needs planting. Taking a bit of time and planning for a healthy foundation will save you hours, even years, of plant heartache. Before buying a lot of expensive plants and seeds, get your soil tested and amended to get it in good shape. My husband and I spent one whole season just adding compost to our yard. It was not the most exciting time; however, the following year, our hard work and wheelbarrowhauling paid off, and we had more blooms than ever before. For assistance, contact your local county extension agent. Extension agents are an excellent resource regarding soil testing and for answering questions on local growing conditions, pest control, and water conservation techniques. If you have a master gardener program in your area, this is another group with valuable information, and they often run free classes and demonstrations. Here are three simple soil tests you can do yourself. In your yard, dig down about 6 or 8 inches to root level. Fill a large canning jar about half full with soil, and then add water until the jar is full. Let the soil sit
for about 5 minutes, put the lid on, and give the whole mixture a shake. Set the jar down and wait 1 minute before measuring the amount of sediment in the bottom of the jar. This is the sand in your soil. Wait 4 more minutes and measure the sediment again. The difference between the two numbers will be the amount of silt in your soil. Twenty-four hours later, take a third measurement; the difference between the second and third numbers will be the amount of clay in your soil. Healthy soil should be 20 percent clay, 40 percent silt, and 40 percent sand. Knowing the composition of your soil will help you decide what amendments to add and what types of plants to grow in your plot. Some flowers, such as hydrangeas, are pH sensitive and like more acidic soil. Test the pH of your soil with a few common kitchen ingredients. Place 2 tablespoons of soil in a bowl and add 1⁄ 2 cup of vinegar. If the mixture fizzes, you have alkaline soil. Place 2 tablespoons of soil in a bowl and mix it with 1⁄ 2 cup baking soda. Then add water to the mixture; if the soil reacts or fizzes, you have acidic soil. You want your soil to have a neutral pH. Alternatively, purchase test strips that can read the pH level of your soil. If you have acidic soil, add some lime. If it’s alkaline, add some ground sulfur. The final test is to look for earthworms. Digging up your soil and finding 17