Photo caption: This undated photo shows a shovelful of soil in New Paltz, N.Y. Good care, mostly by regularly adding plenty of organic materials and avoiding compaction, results in a soil with many ...

Sandy loam? Loamy soil? There are many terms to describe the ground under your feet. Here's how to determine the composition ...

Not every gardener gets good dirt. In fact, the coveted sandy loam is uncommon in this area. Most of us get dirt with too much clay or too much sand -- and that creates a challenge when it comes to ...

Salts are compounds formed when positively charged cations such as sodium (Na⁺), calcium (Ca²⁺), magnesium (Mg²⁺) and potassium (K⁺) combine with negatively ...

Both extremes in soil have their advantages and shortcomings. These soils act the way they do mostly because of the size of the particles that make them up. Sand particles are relatively large (by ...

By now, you probably know what kind of soil you have out there in your "back 40." If planting that rose bush brought up wads of gummy goo, you know to call it clay. If instead you scooped up gritty ...

Both extremes in soil have their advantages and shortcomings. These soils act the way they do mostly because of the size of the particles that make them up. Sand particles are relatively large (by ...