Years ago, having graduated from The Ohio State University (long before the “the” was changed to “THE”) my next door neighbor offered me a job. He was a landscaper, and I hold him personally responsible for my career path.
One of the first lessons he taught me was that plants do not grow in dirt. They grow in soil. As I learned more, I began to understand the distinction was not pretentious, but a respect for the importance of the medium in which we worked. Louie Bromfield certainly understood that, and he is often quoted as saying, “As soils are depleted, human health, vitality, and intelligence go with them.”
Soil Inequality
Unlike us, not all soils are created equal. In Ohio, our soil is predominantly clay. This is the main reason we grow great corn. On Long Island, east of New York City, the soil is sandy. They don’t grow a lot of corn there, and if they do, it’s sweet corn. Ask any New Yorker living in Ohio though, “Who grows the best sweet corn?”, and we win hands down. “Who makes the best pizza?” gets a different answer.
Handle with Care
For the gardener, there are just a few things to remember about soil in order to be successful. The first is that soil is fragile. When wet, they can be compacted quite easily. That is bad because plants, like us, need air to survive. Driving or even walking on wet soils compresses its air pockets. Compacted soils can’t grow much. That is why trails through the woods remain trails. Especially take care when getting out that roto-tiller. If you can roll a “cigar” out of your soil, get out the potter’s wheel instead.
The Secret Sauce
Any good garden soil has a hefty amount of organic matter. It helps retain water and nutrients, but it also opens up our heavy clay soils. Organic matter, however doesn’t last forever and needs to be replenished. In the forest that happens naturally. In our gardens, not so much. Stop taking your leaves to the curb!
Technicalities
Then there’s a soil’s pH -yes, small “p”, capital “h” – the measurement of a soil’s acidity. It is important because it determines what can be grown or what needs to be done to the soil in order to grow it.
I grew up in Columbus. My Mom was from the South. She loved dogwoods and azaleas; however, they didn’t like our soil. We had everything but the right pH. We had a neutral pH. They like an acid one, which proves that sometimes you just have to pick a side. Unfortunately, you don’t really get a choice with pH. There are ways of changing it, and we tried. The plants never thrived though, and during a recent visit home I found the dogwood not much bigger and no sign of the azaleas.
The Nitty Gritty
Soil is fundamental to our gardens, and I have only scratched the surface of it. A friend of mine asked what should he do this spring to his soil to grow better plants. Ideally, he should test his soil for pH and fertility, but an easier, less calculating answer would be to just add organic matter, be it peat moss, compost, manure, or leaves. Just make sure all are well decomposed.
Resources & Events
Both Richland County and the city of Mansfield offer leaves and compost for residents’ gardens. Call them for details. And there is a gentleman in the northeast of the county that produces the most incredible compost. Appropriately called Harvey’s Incred-A-soil, a little goes a long way. As good as any granular fertilizer, I would recommend to my friend that he work a little of that in with the compost. Harvey is usually at Kingwood’s Garden Days which is coming up the first Saturday of May.
On that same day, May 3, the Gorman Nature Center is conducting a wildflower walk at Fowler Woods, and they will also be participating in the 13th Annual Mohican Wildlife Weekend the prior weekend, April 25-27. Tonight April 17, the Library’s Madison Branch is hosting a talk on herbs from 6-7 p.m. Signup is required (419-589-7050).
Finally, please consider joining the Friends of Mansfield Parks this Saturday, April 19 for a spring cleanup in South Park from 9-12. Gloves, bags, and a good time will be provided. In the meantime, get out and get dirty.
Since his days as forced labor in his mother’s garden, John has learned to enjoy gardening and has actually made a career out of it. From the backyards of Columbus to the rooftops of Manhattan, John has soiled his hands. Former Head Gardener at Kingwood Center, John still gets his hands dirty in the local community. You can contact him at jmakley@centurylink.net.