Soil 101

Garden soil is made up of three particle sizes: the smallest particles are clay, the midsize particles are silt, and the largest particles are sand. The proportions of those three components—referred to as a soil's "texture"—determines how easy your garden soil is to work with and how well it will support your plants. A fine-textured soil has a lot of clay; a coarse-textured soil is sandy.

If your soil has too much clay or too much sand, there are simple ways to fix it. You can improve clay soil in your garden by adding organic matter, or compost. Tilling in 2-3 inches of compost allows soil to hold more water and nutrients. The chemical properties of compost also help prevent soil compaction. If you are having trouble with the clay soil in your yard, creating your own rich, organic garden soil will help alleviate these issues.