Issue 01

The Garden Journal

Four seasonal issues · Practical science
Clark J. Madsen
Garden soil

Issue 01 · The Ground Beneath

Before the first seed, the soil decides.

Preparation, nutrient trouble-shooting, and the quiet physics of osmosis.

In this issue

“Proper soil preparation actually starts at the end of a season’s harvest.”

Soil Preparation

Soil particle triangle (conceptual)

Sand, silt, and clay govern drainage, nutrient holding, and root breathability.

Sand Silt Clay Larger particles drain fast · Clay holds nutrients tight · Ideal tilth balances all three
Darker, looser soil with organic matter usually signals better tilth than pale compacted clay.
Rototiller working garden soil
Fall and spring tillage set the seedbed

Source material drawn from MD Hub Knowledge Base Garden (id 64). Magazine presentation for The Garden Journal.