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Soil improvement
Digging and incorporating well-rotted organic matter can significantly improve all soils. In the case of clay, use horticultural grit or sharp sand (as well as well-rotted organic manure).
This is covered in more detail in Module 4, Practical Planting, Preparing the ground.
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 | Find out how to test your soil with this step-by-step guide. Otherwise, continue reading...
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 Look
To figure out what soil your garden has, first of all you need to get outside.
Water an area of soil with a watering can. Surface water disappears quickly on sandy or gravelly soils, but remains longer on clay.
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 Touch
Take a handful of soil and gently squeeze.
- If it feels slimy and sticky, and when you release the pressure the lump stays in shape, it is clay
- Sandy or gravelly soils feel gritty, and the ‘lump’ crumbles apart
- Peaty soil feels spongy
- Loam and silt feel smooth and retain their shape for longer that sandy soil, but not as rigidly as clay
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