CORVALLIS, Ore. - It's a simple equation: If you want to grow better plants, you first need to understand the soil. "The texture of a soil is its proportion of sand, silt and clay," said James ...

LAST WEEK'S column provided a recipe for testing your garden soil's texture and discussed the management of sandy soils. This week, I'll focus on the management of clay, silt and loam soils and ...

If you keep trying to grow food in your garden but nothing turns out right, there could be something wrong with the soil. Try testing it with a Mason jar.

Types of particles include sand, silt and clay. Sand particles, which you can see, are the largest. Clay particles, the smallest, ... Usable water depends on soil type, texture and water movement.

A healthy garden soil should be 20% sand, 60% silt, and 20% clay. Soil texture determines how fast water flows through the soil. Water dissolves nutrients so plant roots can take them up.

Such a soil, with roughly equal functional contributions from clay, silt and sand is, texturally, a LOAM. You get what you're dealt in soil texture, but fortunately texture isn't the end-all when ...

Your neighbor might have a thriving garden they only water once a week, while you follow along only to produce shriveled ...

“The texture of a soil is its proportion of sand, silt and clay,” said James Cassidy, a soils instructor at Oregon State University. “Texture determines all kinds of things like drainage ...