Читать книгу Gardening Basics For Dummies - The Editors of the National Gardening Association, Steven A. Frowine - Страница 45

Every gardener wishes for beautiful well-drained rich black garden loam (rich, dark soil), but for most folks that’s a pipe dream. Good soil is usually made by the gardener and rarely comes with the property. More often than you may think, poor soil thwarts gardening plans. People just forget or underestimate the importance of good soil to plant in.

To tackle this problem, consider doing one of the following:

 Try growing only those types of plants proven to work in your soil.

 See what the neighbors are growing in their gardens.

 Check with the local nursery for the best plants to grow in your area.

 Dig into the soil and mix in the materials you want (sort of like making cake batter, only more work).

 Work to change and improve the soil.Some folks use a rototiller for this job, but it has its drawbacks. A rototiller can pulverize the soil to such a degree that it destroys its texture. It also has other drawbacks. It brings weed seeds and bits to the surface where they begin to grow, and it damages the habitat of helpful soil organisms (from barely visible creatures that help break down organic matter to helpful earthworms).A rototiller can be useful for doing the initial soil or sod busting, but after that initial work, forks and shovels will probably be your best bet. Just remember to add plenty of organic matter like compost or composed pine bark as you can (see Chapter 5 for more about rototillers). Remember to work down to a depth of 6 to 8 inches (15 to 20 cm) for most garden plants — less for shallow-rooted grass, more for trees and shrubs.