Whether you have heavy clay or drought-prone sand, a good annual mulch can do wonders for your soil, says Adam Frost – and many of the raw materials you’ll need are right before your eyes
Casting my mind back to when I was 21 – which is a few years ago now – I remember Geoff Hamilton saying to me: “The answer is in the soil, boy!”. Yes, a man ahead of his time, but so right. The key to a good garden is your relationship with the soil; it’s the most important thing you have in the garden, yet it’s easy to take it for granted.
When we moved into our new place, the first thing I did was test the soil to work out the pH levels, which for me are on the alkaline side. Knowing your soil’s pH will allow you to grow a suitable range of plants, so I recommend buying a simple soil-testing kit. But don’t just test in one spot, move around your garden as it may vary.
Then get your hands into your soil – feel the texture, and look at the colour and composition. See what life there is in it. The healthier your soil, the more resilient your plants will be when it comes to resisting pests and diseases.
But you don’t need to worry if your soil isn’t in tip-top condition – there are plenty of ways to improve what you have.
One of the most important things you can do is to add organic matter. Not only does it improve the structure of both clay and sandy soil, it also helps it to retain moisture for healthy plant growth. Add a layer of compost yearly to start with and you’ll soon reap the benefits. We hear a lot about no-dig, which has its benefits, but for me if I’m creating a new bed I still dig it over. It might sound like hard work, but as sad as it sounds it means I can spend some time with the soil, spotting the dry patches, stony areas, heavy areas and so on. At this point I also incorporate about 7cm of organic matter.
I only ever dig an area over once, and from then just apply a mulch every year. Within two or three years you may find that you only need to mulch every other year.
Circle of life
Homemade compost is something that you can create from your own raw vegetable peelings and garden waste, and I love making it for a number of reasons. Firstly, I don’t like things going to waste if I can help it. Secondly, it makes environmental sense – the less material that leaves your garden the better. Thirdly, it’s a gr
