What is Well-Draining Soil? - Ep. 153

The description on just about every seed packet or plant tag usually says something along the lines of, this plant “likes fertile, well-draining soil, with lots of organic matter.” The fertility part we likely understand, and we talk about soil organic matter all the time around here. But what about well-draining soil? What does that mean, how do we know if we have it, and what do we do if we don’t? If our soil isn’t well-draining are we destined to only garden in planters where we can completely control the soil? Can we create well-draining soil in our containers or can we modify our existing soil to make it well draining?

We know the soil we are gardening in is one of the biggest building blocks for a healthy plant and, therefore, a healthy harvest. What are the possible consequences for not having well-draining soil? How does it affect the plants? We are getting into all of that today including, step by step, how to test any soil in any location to see exactly how well it drains. Let’s dig in!

Episode Resources:

Ep. 136 - Filling New Raised Beds

Ep. 134 - Soil Texture and Composition: How it affects water and nutrients in the garden and how to know what type you have

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