Want to know what's going on in your soil? Try this.
You don't need a lab test to learn something useful about your garden's foundation. Three simple checks:
The drainage test:
Dig a small hole in your border. Fill it with water and time how long it drains. Under an hour — free-draining, possibly too fast (common on Bagshot sands around Woking). Still holding water after 4+ hours — drainage issue (common on clay towards Byfleet and Weybridge).
The squeeze test:
Take a handful of moist soil and squeeze it. Tight, shiny ball — heavy clay. Falls apart immediately — sandy. Holds together loosely and crumbles when poked — loam. That middle ground is what most plants prefer.
The life test:
Dig a spadeful from an established border. Count the earthworms. Healthy soil should have several per spadeful. Very few or none means low biological activity — often compaction, chemical overuse, or lack of organic matter.
What to do with the results:
— Free-draining sand? Build organic matter through mulching and compost
— Heavy clay? Add organic matter to improve structure
— Low worm count? Reduce disturbance, add surface mulch, stop broad-spectrum chemicals
Understanding even the basics changes the decisions you make — and gardens that work with their soil are healthier and less work.
📍 Surrey
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