Facts About Soil

If you're eager to learn some facts about soil, then there's a good chance that you fall into the category of "committed gardener." People who garden only sporadically can't be bothered with learning the facts about soil. As Marie Iannotti writes, "Soil is often viewed as the boring part of gardening." But if you know better than to consider the very foundation of gardening as "boring," you'll want to read this article on garden soil from About's Gardening Guide.

But don't stop there! Kerry Michaels, About's Guide to Container Gardening, presents some facts about soil that pertain specifically to using it in pots and other containers. For instance, under watering and over watering soil are two of the 10 common mistakes in container gardening. A nice companion piece to this article is Amy Jeanroy's review of organic potting soil for those who are unable to mix their own soil, but who still wish to stay organic.

You may never have thought of them this way before, but raised beds are essentially just large container gardens with no bottoms. In this article on how to build raised beds, I include facts about soil (or, more specifically, the lack thereof) as pertains to raised garden beds.

No "facts about soil" segment is complete without some mention of clay soil, the bane of many a gardener. Colleen Vanderlinden, About's Guide to Organic Gardening, offers tips on improving clay soil, a type of soil that Colleen says "can be a real pain if you happen to decide that you want to plant a flower or vegetable garden." Meanwhile, About's Guide to Small Farms, Tamara Lujan puts the subject of clay into context in this article on soil texture.

While compost is distinct from soil, a tutorial on mixing compost belongs in any collection of facts about soil. One of the surest ways to achieve good soil is to mix plenty of compost into it. Vanessa Richins, About's Guide to Trees and Shrubs, discusses how to start your own compost.