Soil care workshop

We spent the day mixing our own soil for use in the containers.

A healthy productive soil has a balance of:

• Moisture

• Gases

• Mineral fractions

• Micro organisms

• Organic matter

Together these contribute to the main function of soil which is to break down large physical and organic compounds to simpler ones that are absorbed by plant roots and used by soil organisms. Each of these five main elements not only differs depending on the soil but also interacts with all the other elements.

As we’re container gardening we can choose the makeup of our soil. On the day we mixed these ingredients together:

Top soil - this is an existing soil, a mix of clay or sand, minerals, and organic matter

Coir - added to improve drainage and water retention, good for containers

Compost - decomposed organic matter, for extra nutrients

Biochar (charcoal) - improving water and nutrient retention, improved drainage, and aeration, providing a habitat for beneficial soil microbes

Powdered seaweed - contains useful plant nutrients, including nitrogen, potassium, phosphate, and magnesium

By Stephen Shiell, community gardener

Pictures from 3rd September soil care workshop