Healthy gardens always start below the surface. Soil Foundations is where we explain how soil actually works — in plain language, without unnecessary jargon.
In this section, you’ll learn about the main soil types found in UK gardens, how soil structure affects roots, why soil pH matters, and how water, air, and organic matter interact underground. We also explore the living side of soil — worms, microbes, and fungi — and why they are essential for long-term plant health.
Whether your garden soil is heavy clay, free-draining sand, or something in between, understanding these basics helps you make better decisions and avoid common mistakes. Everything else on SoilCare builds on the knowledge shared here.
Why Compaction Is One of the Most Overlooked Soil Problems Soil compaction is rarely dramatic. It does not arrive with sudden collapse or obvious warning. Instead, it develops quietly, layer by layer, often beneath soil that looks perfectly acceptable on the surface. Many gardeners respond to struggling plants with extra watering, feeding, or replanting. Yet…
Why Soil Structure Problems Often Go Unnoticed Soil structure rarely fails suddenly or dramatically. It weakens quietly, often over several seasons, while plants continue to cope as best they can. By the time growth visibly suffers, the damage is usually well established beneath the surface. Plants are adaptable. They adjust root shape, rely on surface…
What “Healthy Soil” Actually Means Healthy soil is soil that consistently supports plant growth without constant correction or intervention. It provides the conditions plants need to grow steadily and naturally, rather than relying on repeated feeding, watering, or problem-solving. At its most basic level, healthy soil offers: Crucially, healthy soil is alive. Billions of bacteria,…
Why Understanding Soil Matters Soil is the foundation of every garden, yet it is often taken for granted. Gardeners frequently focus on fertilisers, watering, and plant choice, but the physical characteristics of soil—its texture and structure—have an equally profound impact on plant health. Soil texture determines how water, nutrients, and air move through the soil….
Understanding Soil Structure When gardeners consider soil, their focus often falls on nutrients, watering, or fertilisers. While these are essential, there’s an equally crucial factor that is often overlooked: soil structure. Soil structure describes the way soil particles—sand, silt, and clay—bind together to form aggregates, or clumps. The arrangement of these aggregates creates pores, tiny…
Soil might look the same on the surface, but beneath your feet lies a fascinating, layered world. Each of these layers, or soil horizons, has a unique role in supporting plants, controlling water, and sustaining life underground. By understanding these horizons, gardeners can work with their soil, not against it, leading to healthier plants, stronger…
What Is Topsoil? Topsoil is the uppermost layer of soil, usually the top 15 to 30 centimetres, and it is where almost all meaningful plant growth begins. This layer forms over time as plant material decomposes and mixes with mineral particles. For gardeners, topsoil is the working layer — the soil that is dug, planted,…
Why Soil Colour Is One of the First Clues to Soil Health Before laboratory tests, before fertilisers, and long before modern farming, people judged soil by what they could see. Soil colour has always been one of the most reliable visual indicators of what is happening below the surface. Colour reflects how soil forms, how…
Why Soil Smell Matters More Than Most Gardeners Realise Gardeners often rely on sight and touch to judge soil, but smell is one of the most honest and immediate indicators of soil health. Long before plants show visible stress, soil odour can reveal whether conditions below ground are balanced, struggling, or heading towards problems. Soil…
Why Soil Temperature Matters for Germination Many gardeners underestimate the critical role soil temperature plays in seed germination. While sunlight, moisture, and seed quality are essential, the soil’s warmth directly determines whether seeds sprout on time, thrive, or fail altogether. Seeds sense their environment, and the temperature of the soil is the key signal for…