How do you view soil in your garden? A lot of us look at soil as just the brown stuff under our feet. We usually don’t think about all of the different components that make up soil, all of the different organisms living in soil, or how it is this whole environment that our plants depend on. It is a living, breathing ecosystem that could be the answer to improving your entire garden. As gardeners, you know that soil is important so you should be feeding it, not just feeding your plants. And there's no better person to talk about that topic today than Juliet Sargeant, an award-winning British garden designer, educator, and author of Start with Soil:  Simple Steps for a Thriving Garden.

 

In this episode, we learn:

• [00:00] Why soil is more than just dirt
• [03:28] Who is Juliet Sargeant?
• [05:31] Soil as a mix of science and creativity
• [09:02] What are the different components of soil? (topsoil, subsoil)
• [12:07]  Air pockets in soil
• [14:37] Give your plants the nutrient-rich foundation they need with Espoma Organic!
• [16:08] Join the movement of confident female gardeners with Dovetail x John Deere Workwear!
• [18:03]  What are the essential soil elements to consider as a gardener?
• [19:40] Soil testing 101: pH kits, sedimentation jars
• [22:20] Too much clay? Too much sand? How to fix your soil naturally
• [24:16] Should you really change your soil composition? (adapting native plants)
• [29:12]  What are the least invasive ways that we can improve our soil? 
• [30:06] What is no-dig gardening?
• [34:18] What are the essential nutrients for plants?
• [37:31] Where can you find Juliet online?

 

 

 

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Soil Components

Soil isn’t just compost. It’s not just “dirt.” It’s this incredible blend of:

• Mineral particles (sand, silt, clay)
• Organic matter (dead stuff like leaves, compost, manure)
• Living organisms (like worms and bacteria)
• Air pockets and water

 

I was watering some houseplants today, and I always marvel at the difference in weight of a pot pre-water and post-water.

Even after the water has drained out the bottom, the soil has absorbed the water, and it's so much heavier. That’s the soil soaking up water into its teeny-tiny air pockets… like a living sponge.

 

 

How Do You Understand Your Soil?

Juliet reminded me that before we start amending or planting, we should observe. Look at the weeds, the wild plants, the feel of the soil in your hands. Is it gritty like sand? Squishy like clay? You can use pH kits and sedimentation jars for soil testing.

Try the mason jar/sedimentation test:

1. Scoop in one part soil
2. Add two parts water
3. Shake it like a smoothie
4. Watch it settle into layers: sand, clay, and silt

Over time, heavier sand goes down first, then clay, and finally the fine silt, which is the last to settle. Measure how thick each layer is to see what kind of soil you've got — figure out if it's more sandy, silty, or clay-heavy.

 

 

What If Your Soil Kinda Sucks?

We all want loamy soil, the ideal type of soil that’s not too sandy, not too clay-heavy, and just perfect. But most of us don’t have it.

So if you want to beef up your soil, it's very much about organic matter, such as:

• Garden compost
• horse manure
• mushroom compost
• Or Espoma’s Land & Sea Gourmet Compost (my go-to!)

 

Note: Juliet still encourages you to consider a more respectful, less interfering approach by thinking about what would naturally grow (native plants) in the existing soil you have. She posed a challenge: Can we shift our tastes and use more native or climate-adapted plants to reduce the need for constant soil modification?

 

 

No-Dig Gardening

For years, gardeners were taught to dig deep, turn soil, and till it thoroughly before planting. My mom loved her tiller. She would rent one from Home Depot and rip up half the yard. It looked satisfying. It felt productive.

But Juliet said that every time we dig, we disrupt the layers of soil that nature spent years building. We flip earthworms upside down. We throw fungal networks into chaos. And if we keep doing it, we exhaust the system.

That’s why the no-dig gardening movement is growing. So we basically stop digging; we simply add layers of compost or organic material to the top. Then the worms do the rest. It’s gentler, more efficient, and way more respectful to the life beneath our plants.

 

 

Feed the Soil, Feed the World

When we care for our soil, we care for our plants, our planet, and ourselves.

So the next time you go to water your plants or prep your beds, pause for a second. Look down. Think about the layers, the microorganisms, the quiet but mighty life in the soil. That’s where it all starts.

 

 

Mentioned in our conversation:

•  Start with Soil: Simple Steps for a Thriving Garden by Juliet Sargeant

 

 

Thank you to our episode sponsors:

Espoma Organic

Feed and care for your soil and your plants with nontoxic products in the garden! Espoma Organic is dedicated to making safe indoor and outdoor gardening products for people, pets, and the planet. They have an amazing variety of high-quality, organic potting mixes, garden soil, fertilizers, and pest control products that are organic and eco-friendly. To top it all off, they have a huge sustainability commitment with a 100% solar-powered plant, zero waste manufacturing, and eco-friendly packaging.

Visit espoma.com to find your local Espoma dealer or check my Amazon storefront.

Dovetail Workwear

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Grab a pair today and get 10% off at dovetailworkwear.com/growingjoy. The discount is applied at checkout and promo is limited to one per person.

 

 

 

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