Rodale Webinar

A healthy garden begins with healthy soil. In addition to providing physical support to the plant, soil plays a role in gas exchange, water retention and filtration, as well as temperature moderation. It also holds important minerals that provide nutrients to the plant, and many macro and microorganisms live in the soil that help plants thrive.Soil TypesSoil types range from sand to clay, and the soil that falls somewhere in the middle between these extremes is known as silt or loam. Soil type d

Simply put, soil pH is the measure of how acid or alkaline your soil is. Soil pH is measured on a simple scale that ranges from 0 to 14. The midpoint, pH 7, denotes a neutral soil, which is neither acid or alkaline. Anything below pH 7 is acidic (or ericaceous), and the lower the pH number, the more acidic the soil is. Alkaline soils are those with a pH above pH 7. Similarly, the higher the pH number, the more alkaline the soil is. Most soils in the UK range from pH 4.5 to pH 8. Through

If you enjoy crisp, crunchy carrots, youll adore the fresh flavor of homegrown. Not only do they taste especially delicious when you grow carrots in your own garden, but theyre also extra sweet when kissed by frost. Whats more, theyll last for several weeks after harvest when stored in a refrigerator or cool root cellar. Rich in vitamins, theyre low in calories and an excellent source of fiber. Carrots make the perfect home-grown snack, plus theyre a wonderful addition to juices and

If you love sweet, earthy beets, its time to grow your own. A dual-purpose vegetable, beets taste delicious whether youre eating the greens in a salad or roasting the roots for a main dish. Plus, beets make a terrific garden addition, thriving in the cool temperatures of spring and fall when youre longing for fresh, homegrown flavors but its grown too chilly for summer crops, like tomatoes. Theyre a terrific choice for succession planting (staggering your plantings so they mature at