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This Is Soil Material:
As soon as a piece of land is dug, the process of humus breakdown is speeded up. This means the soil structure and the organic and chemical content may have to be altered. There are many materials, bulky or granular, organic or inorganic, that can be used to improve soil and turn it into the best possible growing medium for a wide range of plants.
A compost pile will cheaply and quickly turn backyard and kitchen waste into valuable soil-enriching material.
• To make good, crumbly compost the pile must be properly constructed so that the organic material can decompose rapidly and not just turn into a pile of stagnant vegetation.Yet another condition that you may encounter, as you dig, is a layer of hardpan. This is soil material so tightly compacted or concreted that it is practically impervious to water and air. It may be caused by the cementing together of soil particles by forms of iron, lime or other materials (true hardpan), by the sinking in the soil and the collecting together at a certain level of extremely fine clay particles (tight clay), or by plowing clayey soil at the same depth year after year (plow pan or plow sole). Whatever its cause it is a disadvantage that can, and should, be relieved. If, in your digging, you strike bedrock, you have determined the full depth of soil and topsoil. There is no way of extending this depth except by adding soil.
A 2—3in thick layer of organic matter spread around plants growing in beds and borders will slowly decompose and help to enrich the soil. Mulching will also suppress weed growth as well as helping to conserve soil moisture. Mulches are best laid in spring on top of moist soil and any remaining material can be forked into the soil in the fall. Plants that are grown both in open ground and in containers must always be kept supplied with nutrients. This will help to ensure a healthy rate of vigorous growth.
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