Why is the state of your soil so important?

If I asked you to run a marathon, without food or water, you’d probably say no. If I gave you nothing but fast food and fizzy drinks over a period of years and hardly any training, you’d perhaps feel a bit better, but you still wouldn’t be facing a marathon in peak form. If you ran it anyway, you might manage to get around, but your lack of training might lead to injury or burnout, and you might be more susceptible to long and short-term illnesses because your immune system wouldn’t be working well.

This is like our soil! If we don’t care for it, nurture it, and make sure that it is as healthy as it can be, then when we ask it to support the growth of plants during a 40°C+ summer or deal with unexpected frosts or even snow in winter, it won’t be up to the job. It will succumb to invasions of pests and diseases, and more than likely kill our precious plants.

What happens when soil is not given everything it needs?

At the time of writing (in July 2023), Spain is facing some of the hottest temperatures ever experienced here. In various regions, the impact of long-term excessive heat, combined with reduced rainfall is having an impact on agriculture. This film shows vast expanses of depleted soils, that are now being reduced to desert. Just today, there was a news article about soils in the South of Spain reaching more than 60°C. Those are temperatures at which almost nothing can survive, let alone thrive.

This is very ‘doom and gloom’! Can we do anything about it?

If we start with the belief that our soil is the most important element in growing things, whether that’s ornamental or agricultural, and we understand that one size does not fit all, then the first thing we need to do is work out what our soil is like, what properties it has, so we know what we’re working with.

All healthy soils have a place in the world. Different plants prefer different soils, so whilst it’s important to know the type of soil e.g. sandy or clay, you can successfully grow in all types of soils, as long as they’re healthy.

Once we understand our soil, how to care for it, improve it and use it for the right plants, we can begin to create microclimates that counteract these extremes… I’ll tell you more about how in other posts. Right, back to the soil!

What makes healthy soil?

If you’ve ever walked in a forest, you’ll have noticed how springy the ground is as you walk on it. In nature, soils are built by layers of the world being shed, into smaller and smaller parts, until, over time, they all get mixed together to form soil.

Soil is formed from a wide variety of materials:

• leaves, stems, and roots of plants

• twigs, branches, tree trunks, and roots of trees and bushes

• eroded rocks and stones

• animal excrement, as well as decomposing bodies, including blood and bone etc

• mineral deposits

• living creatures such as earthworms

• air and water

If you’d like to know more about the difference between healthy soil and ‘dirt’ this video explains it really clearly!

How can I find out more about my soil?

A really simple answer to this is, “Look at it!”

You can tell a lot by looking. Dig up a trowel full of soil from your garden. Here are some questions you might ask yourself…

• Is it hard to dig into?

• Are there any signs of life in it (tiny insects, worms, beetles etc)?

• Is it warm or cool to the touch?

• Does it feel moist or dry?

• Crumbly or solid?

• What colour is it?

• Does it smell of anything?

• Is it gritty or smooth when you rub it between your fingers?

• When you blow on it, does it blow away?

• Does it stick together when you try and roll it into a ball?

It can be useful to know the proportion of the different elements in your soil; mainly clay, silt, and sand.

If you want to, you can test your soil further, and there are many ways to do this. In future posts, I’ll tell you more!

Why is soil so important then?

As the main building block of any growing area, our knowledge of the health and quality of the soil is vital. If we are going to be able to support plants to grow well, we have to give them what they need, and plants growing well has the potential to solve all sorts of issues in the harsher climates we often face here in Spain.

In future posts, I’ll explain…

• how to find out what sort of soil you have

• how to improve the fertility and health of your soil without adding fertilizer or other additions

• how your soil can help to protect your plants from pests and diseases

• what impact your soil has on how much water you need to use to keep your garden alive

• the best way to use your soil to propagate plants

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