GOLDEN VALLEY, Minn. — Understanding the texture of your garden soil is crucial for successful planting and gardening. Soil texture affects water retention, drainage, aeration, and nutrient ...

Most gardeners know that success depends on many factors: You can’t grow a sun-loving plant in a shady area, for example. And a shrub that loves wet places won’t do well in dry soil. But the most ...

Have you ever watered your garden and noticed the water takes a long time to drain or percolate through the soil? You might want to investigate your soil texture. Anthony Simerlink is a University of ...

A new article details methods of determining a soil's texture by feel, an important skill for students of soil science. Soil texture strongly influences the nutrient holding ability of a soil, the ...

To grow, plants must absorb nutrients from the soil. Not only must these nutrients be present in sufficient quantities, they must also be available for uptake by the plant. Nutrient availability is ...

Successful spring gardening starts long before the plants go into the ground. In east Idaho, gardeners commonly work with silty to sandy soils. Because soil texture influences how water, nutrients and ...

Katherine Gallagher is a writer and sustainability expert. She holds a B.A. in English Literature from Chapman University and a Sustainable Tourism certificate from the GSTC. Succulents may be one of ...