What Garden Soil Should Look Like… From A Soil Scientist

Have you ever wondered what your garden soil should look like? Should I be light and fluffy in organic looking. Or what does it mean when it’s really clumpy and aggregated. Well, truth is there’s nothing wrong with either one of these Soils. They simply just need to be managed differently to yield you a beautiful garden. This video goes over how to manage minerals well versus how to manage organic soil 

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👩🏻‍🦰 A B O U T M E:
Ashley is a soil scientist who has had a passion for plants since she was a small child. In the long summers as a child, she would garden alongside her grandmother and it was then that she realized her love for greenery. With years of great studying, Ashley had begun her post-secondary education at the University of Saskatchewan.
At first, her second love, animals, was the career path she chose but while doing her undergrad she realized that her education would take her elsewhere. And with that, four years later she graduated from the University of Saskatchewan with a bachelor’s degree in science and a major in Soil Science.
Some of Ashley’s interests are YouTube, in which she posts informative videos about plants and gardening. The focus of Ashley’s YouTube channel is to bring science to gardening in a way that is informative but also helpful to others learning to garden. She also talks about the importance of having your own garden and the joys of gardening indoors. Ashley continues to study plants in her free time and hopes to expand her YouTube channel as well as her reach to up-and-coming gardeners.
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This description or comments section may contain links to affiliate websites. I receive a commission for any purchases made by you on the affiliate website using such a link. This includes the gardening in Canada website. You should assume all links both on the gardening in Canada YouTube, Blog, and all other social media are affiliates and I will receive compensation.

[GardeningInCanada]

Are you gardening in mineral soil or organics oil?

[jennyreese]

Oh my gosh I'm so excited for your mulch video!!

[timcoolican]

Last year I tilled up a section of our back lawn. The soil was actually quite good. The garden was not as productive as it could have been, because the soil was quite 'heavy', but we did get potatoes, peas, beans, some carrots, chives, and zucchini. I raked all of the leaves over it last year, tilling it in this spring.

We also extended our garden, taking another 8 foot wide section of lawn, to our semi-circular space. This time it was much harder packed, with more clay. So, I added a truck-load of composted manure, tilling it in. Then I decided to 'mound' planting furrows to create a deeper tilled area for planting. Everything is up now and I didn't lose any plants in the monsoon we had yesterday (June 3, 2023).

Regardless of all these additions, my soil still does not look as good as I think it should...but the results speak for themselves. Owning a tiller, I have the luxury of tilling every year, but if I didn't, I'd be out there with a pitch fork all day.

Thank you for sharing this Ashley...and all of the information you've shared with us over the years.

[brianseybert]

One of my 1st mistakes when I first started gardening in raised beds was not adding enough native soil, cost me a bunch. Posted a video a couple weeks ago showing how I filled my 2 new raised beds this spring for zero dollars.
As always, enjoy your videos! Stay Well!!!

[kele]

LOVE the t-shirt!!! And the dog soil tiller. 🙂

[mariem]

You have the Cutest rototiller ! I love dirt. Thank you for the great video Ashley.

[DavidMFChapman]

I’ve gardened im the same place for decades, and I just keep adding homemade compost to the beds as I sow or transplant and mulch with shredded leaves or chop’n’drop. The original soil had a lot of clay. In the beginning I used to dig in peat and store-bought compost, but I’ve stopped doing that. I also get a few bags of composted horse manure every spring. I have no idea what to call my soil LOL.

[matthawkins]

I have raised beds in my backyard and every 3 years or so I have to dig them out due to tree and other surrounding plant roots invading the beds. I also have soil that is high in rock and silt. Not sure what to do other than order a few cubic yards of compost and maybe put in some root barriers.

[thebandplayedon..]

lol feeling that closing shot all bundled up tho... woke up this morning damn near froze, mumbled some swears whilst searching for my toque & scarf!!
In damn near wept like a baby, then lit the woodstove to heat the house. In and I'm still cold af. You guessed it... In effing Juuuune!!!
A couple days ago it was so hot I gave myself heat stroke working outside all day and was down and out for almost two full days recovering.
Now this. And a solid week of cloud and rain ahead.
👌 👍🙄🙄🙄
Sigh... gardening is hard. Haha love it though a great challenge at every level.

[amandar]

Mr Mole broadforks my mulched soil soil for me. Every. Single. Year. He does a fair job tilling it, too. 😁

[oreopaksun]

You can tell the serious gardener on a garden tour; the one not looking at fruit or blooms, she look over her shoulders, then scootches down and looks under the mulch to peek at and feel the soil!

[teac]

You really need to write a paper and use the term 'influencer soil' in it.

[GRPermie]

Soil is something that can get expensive fast if you are not careful! Thanks for the video.

[janellem]

Always love your videos. Been watching for nearly a year now and I've seen so much improvement in such a short period of time.

I liked this video that it wasn't too "scientific" I know youre so knowledgeable when it comes to science but sometimes it's harder to follow for the average person. I love how you use science to back it up though so definitely keep at that!

There's not too many Canadian gardening channels I think you could really make it big here! Wishing you the best success.😊😊

- Gardening in Toronto area, Ontario💗

[carolstuff]

Great info & love your dog relaxing in the soil. Thanks for sharing Ashley!

[elliebee]

I live in a newer neighborhood, and the soil is approximately 3 to 4 inches deep and it is very very compacted and under that is clay fill. We’ve lived here for 14 years now, and have done a lot to improve the soil in our yard. We have also really improved the planting holes for trees and I know that that’s not always recommended. However, our trees compared to the trees that are in the park near our home are easily twice as big. I don’t think the trees in the park have put on more than a couple of inches growth each year and they are a basswood tree. I noticed the city put in 4 more trees in that park on Friday. What is your opinion about improving the holes before tree planting?

[drawyrral]

I rain down a ton of organic matter on my soil. Leaves and twigs and compost and rabbit poop. The large number of birds contribute a lot of guano too. Nature's way.

[PlantObsessed]

Just found your channel looking for Grazon remediation. Great stuff You have given me much to think about. Looks like i have some binging to do.

[unionseen]

It would be helpful to show what happens to the soil in your hands when it is wet, in varying degrees. Clay changes character dramatically when wet. Could also show an example of how fast soils drain... create a divet...add water, show drain rate.

[dustyflats]

They say to have a soil test done. I have the kit, but it’s difficult to tell the color and not as accurate. Im too cheap to pay for a test, but the other problem is that all areas are amended differently because I’ve tried raised beds and created my own in ground beds with native soil and compostable materials. I wouldn’t get an accurate reading unless I had several separate tests of samples and mixing from different beds would not be accurate.
I just wing it and keep adding natural stuff—free is best and it does well.