Garden Club digs soil

Community

March 18, 2019 - 10:16 AM

Not all potting soils are created equally.

Such was the lesson offered up Wednesday by Evelyn Lay at the Dirt Diggers Garden Club meeting.

Lay presented the program for four members at her house.

She noted that for containers, hanging baskets and houseplants, you don’t really want potting soil. Instead, growers should use a soil-less mixture. Potting soil includes actual soil from the ground and would remain heavy and wet. 

Peat moss is harder to absorb water. Coir-based soil is good for starting seeds or left with chunkier bits and fibers for better drainage in large containers. Bark-based soil has pieces and chunks and is heavier when wet, but it will make the texture loose and airy. Minerals such as perlite and vermiculite increase movement and prevent compaction. Water and nutrients adhere to the outside of these particles instead of just washing through.

 

Putting down roots

Omaha is home to thousands of refugees. 

When they first moved here, the common thread among many was they missed gardening and farming. Laura Weiss got a small grant from a local foundation to start Root Down Community Garden, where residents could grow their own fresh fruits and vegetables. Omaha has four such garden locations.

Related
March 22, 2021
March 24, 2020
November 21, 2019
June 16, 2018