Transform your garden from the ground up with this practical guide to soil.
Any thriving garden starts with good soil: whether you're growing vibrant herbaceous borders or bountiful vegetable beds. And while gardeners all appreciate the soil beneath their feet, many are still perplexed by how it works.
In Start with Soil, award-winning garden designer Juliet Sargeant challenges you to take your soil seriously, reveals its hidden wonders, and gives you the tools to improve your soil health and harness its power.
The science of soil is explained without the jargon: learn how soil works and how climate change is impacting its health.
Get to know your own soil with easy at-home testing, explanations about how soil changes throughout the year, and quick-guides to the types of growing mediums we use in gardening – from composts to house plants, hydroponics to sand gardens.
Follow Juliet’s advice for gardening for better soil, with tried-and-tested methods for making simple compost, feeding your soil, protecting your soil, and introductions to No Dig gardening, Hugelkultur and rain gardens.
Understand how plants help the soil and choose the perfect plants for your soil type.
With step-by-step projects, plant profiles and trouble-shooting pages – by starting with soil you will not only be gardening in a way that is kind to the planet, but you will also be ensuring that your garden flourishes.
Created in collaboration with the world-renowned Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, and written by leading garden designer and soil expert, Juliet Sargeant, this is the must-have guide for a thriving garden.
Introduction
PART ONE: WHAT IS SOIL AND WHY IS IT IMPORTANT FOR OUR GARDENS AND FOR THE ENVIRONMENT?
How soil works
Soil structure and biodiversity
Soil and climate change
Soil in our gardens
PART TWO: GETTING TO KNOW YOUR SOIL
Different soil types
How to test soil
Soil through the year
PART THREE: GARDENING FOR BETTER SOIL
Mulch and compost
How to make leaf mulch
Different types of compost
How to make compost
No-Dig Gardening
Container Gardening
Raised-Bed Gardening
What to Plant for Healthy Soil
Companion planting
Ground cover
Water retaining plants
Plants for soil type (chalky, clay, loamy, peat, sandy and silty; poor soil and woodland environments)
Plants for soil PH (acid-loving plants and alkaline-loving plants)
Top Ten Soil Saving Plants
PART FOUR: SOIL TROUBLESHOOTER
Quick reference guide to key soil problems
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Weight:750.00