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Soil type?

Jordan CarterJordan Carter Posts: 81
in Problem solving

Hi everyone,

I'm not sure if it's possible to identify a soil type by looking at a photo, but if it is, any answers would be greatly appreciated! image

image

 

Posts

  • Fishy65Fishy65 Posts: 2,275

    Not a clue Jordan. Though it does look quite loamy? image My soil is loamy but quite a bit darker - East Northants here.

  • LynLyn Posts: 22,860

    I love the his and hers kneeling pads.

    What did you have in mind to grow in there Jordan, maybe just a sprinkling of Bone meal, or I use chicken pellets, may do the trick, you can buy a soil test kit from GC or Amazon, that will tell you if its acid or alkaline. Then you can buy plants accordingly.

    Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor. 

  • Chrissy the gardenerChrissy the gardener Posts: 1,072

    You can buy a soil test kit from most garden centres they should only cost a few pounds but knowing your soil type can save you money. If you know if your soil type is acidic, neutral or alkaline you can find out which plants will suit youth soil type and so you will save money.

    It only takes a few minutes to do but make sure you test it in different areas as your soil can differ from area to area.

  • DorsetUKDorsetUK Posts: 441

    Where do you live?  Do you have access to a geology map? If not, I do.   I don't think you're on Chalk for instance (being well acquainted with that).  Possibly a sandy substrate looking at the photo.  Whatever you're on you have a depth of soil to be envied

  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 86,093

    It looks similar to the soil here when we moved in - gritty free-draining sandy loam - it needed lots and lots of manure and home-made garden compost to develop a good structure, but three years of that treatment and it's improved beyond recognition.

    Green manures are a good idea, as well as good farmyard manure - as much organic material as you can get will be great.


    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • UnknownUnknown

    I agree with Dove, it looks a potentially good soil, maybe just lacking a bit of heart.

    TLC, as Dove suggests seems the way to go.

  • Jordan CarterJordan Carter Posts: 81

    Thanks for all of the replies. Here are the coordinates of my allotment - https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/50%C2%B048'52.4%22N+1%C2%B003'17.6%22W/@50.8145625,-1.054884,2105m/data=!3m2!1e3!4b1!4m2!3m1!1s0x0:0x0

    And yes, I plan on growing vegetables in my allotment. Green manure is also the method that I am going to use.

  • Fishy65Fishy65 Posts: 2,275

    Wow,just inside the border of Kazakhstan then Jordan. It must get nippy there in the winter image

  • Jordan CarterJordan Carter Posts: 81

    Oops, lets try that again! I'm not quite sure what happened there. Tried it again and it keeps sending me to Kazakhstan. The coordinates are changing as soon as I hit the post button!

    Anyway, here are the coordinates, sorry, you'll have to copy and paste them into Google maps. 50°48'51.9"N 1°03'17.7"W

    Also, I took a couple of pH testings and they were all between 6.3 and 6.5. image

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