sandy loam

Loam soil is the holy grail of gardening. It's easy to dig, stays moist without being poorly drained and has good amounts of nutrients. Added fertilisers are held in the soil and are easily accessed by plants. Loams have a mix of sand, clay, silt and organic matter. Most plants grow in loam, and it's particularly well-suited to growing productive...

Sandy soil is literally soil that’s made up of mainly sand particles. On the positive side, sandy soils are free draining and easy to dig. On the other hand, they can also be hard to wet, hard to keep moist (as sand dries out quickly) and a challenge to enrich with organic matter such as compost and manure. Sandy soils...

Clay soil is made up mainly of clay particles. On the positive side, clay soils are rich in nutrients. On the other hand, they can be difficult to dig and poorly drained, becoming waterlogged when wet and then cracking as they dry out during extended dry periods. If you are unsure about whether your soil is clay or not, there...