A garden full of puddles, beds that you have to dig pounds of sand into, soil that could almost burn cups. But how do you know that it is your problem? There are several tricks. “And you don’t need any special equipment,” says garden expert Jana Bucharová.
You can find the podcast advice here:
Not that the soil structure in the garden is not important during the season. Depending on how heavy it is, other plants will thrive in it, it behaves differently in heavy rains, and differently when the dry and hot summer comes. But this feature is also important in winter. This is no longer a vegetable in the beds, but if you grow perennial herbs, it can have a major impact on whether they will survive the cold season. “Dry-loving herbs are much more likely to kill their roots in the wet than frost,” says Jana Bucharová, an expert in the magazine Receptář on garden topics, in a podcast consultation. It is not only for them that it is worthwhile to find out how you are doing.
To the roller
You may not be hearing about it for the first time, and it’s no wonder. This ridiculously simple test is recommended by gardening experts around the world, and they know why. All you need is your hands and some water.
Moisten your hands, take a little soil in your palm and roll the roller. If it breaks down immediately, the soil is sandy and therefore very permeable. If it only falls apart when you try to bend it, you probably have a golden center and every gardener’s dream. But if the roller obediently bends and does not break, you have to put up with heavy, clay-like and therefore poorly permeable soil.
With shovel in hand
The previous method is reliable, but right now in autumn it has two main disadvantages. On the one hand, the soil itself is wetter and thus holds together better, in addition, it can freeze slowly and even then the result is not exactly telling. And honestly – who wants to cram a wet roller in their hand in dry weather. Probably not even through gloves.
Fortunately, the expert recommends one more option. It’s just as easy and will show you the status exactly where you want it. “Take an ordinary garden shovel and dig a hole right next to the shrub or herb you’re worried about,” he explains. Then pour water into it and watch how quickly it drains. If left standing, the plants may be at risk of winter waterlogging, and it would be better to let them winter elsewhere or at least lighten the soil next year. But when it drains, you probably don’t have to worry about frost-resistant perennials.
