Growing a vegetable garden in loamy soil

Loamy soil, what luck for the gardener! These soils share the characteristics of both clay and sandy soils. They are not perfect soils, but well cultivated, they can come close! How to recognize loamy soil? Typical of valleys crossed by rivers and streams, loamy soils are among the most productive substrates! Through erosion, water has carried away fertile soil particles and deposited them on the surrounding land. Loamy soils are soft to the touch and when you squeeze a small piece between your fingers, it leaves a brownish-gray color on the skin. In summer, its texture is rather powdery, fragile and tends to be compact. What are the particularities of loamy soil? Silt particles are intermediate in size, between coarse sand particles and fine clay particles. This property gives loamy soils the advantage of being both permeable to water and air. Its porosity allows it to warm up quickly at the end of winter. More compact than sand but less so than clay, loamy soil drains well but retains enough water and minerals to nourish plants. A lighter soil also means easier work for the gardener! But the structure of loamy soils is also their weakness! The low sand and clay content makes the soil fragile and prone to compaction. More compact soil risks slowing root growth or even suffocating them due to a lack of oxygen. Nutrients are naturally present and abundant in loamy soils. Some claim that this richness tends to accentuate the color of blooms. But the fragility of loamy soils threatens the minerals. On loamy soils, after only a few years of cultivation, we observe a rapid decrease in the nutrient content, washed away by leaching. How to grow in loamy soil? Add organic matter! Adding compost every year will encourage the activity of microorganisms. They will help decompose organic matter and gradually make the nutrients necessary for plants available. This contribution will also be very useful for improving soil structure. Mulch, mulch, mulch! Organic mulch will protect soils from the formation of a squelch, very common on loamy soils. This is a compact layer formed on the surface. As raindrops fall, they fragment the aggregates and compact the first few centimeters of soil. They then lead to a decrease in water infiltration and an increase in runoff. Seeds will have great difficulty germinating and some will simply not be able to penetrate this layer! Mulching and hoeing will be effective solutions. Be careful with irrigation! Silts contain many tiny air spaces where water can be stored. Above all, do not overwater, otherwise all these spaces will be filled and the roots will lack oxygen! Let the soil dry sufficiently between waterings to force your plants to root to seek water itself from deeper down. Your plants will thus be more resistant to lack of water and this will prevent them from competing with the superficial roots of weeds for access to water. Sow soil improvers! To effectively combat the compaction of loamy soils, soil improvers are perfect! The roots of phacelia, rye, crimson clover, and sainfoin will explore their environment and aerate the soil. What to sow or plant in loamy soil? Plants that tolerate clay soils will adapt very well to loamy soil. Its good drainage and water retention capacities will please a huge diversity of plants. Fruit vegetables, root vegetables, leafy vegetables, you have free choice. Some plants will particularly like these soils for their richness in nutrients: Peonies, marigolds, roses, melons, tomatoes, leeks, cabbages, beans, lettuce, beetroot and small fruits such as raspberries, strawberries ... Concerning soil improvers you can sow alfalfa, a winter soil improver mix, perennial rye, white clover, crimson clover, trefoil clover, Cerdanya vetch or even spring vetch.