‘how to vegetable garden’ Articles

How to vegetable garden in February? Well of course that depends upon whether you are to the north or south of the equator. For those vegetable gardening north of the equator it is still very much winter but now that the days are getting longer there is the promise of spring in the air and starting to tend the vegetable garden in earnest.

Winter gardening is perhaps not as appealing as summer gardening but this is a great time to spend vegetable garden planning.

If you are just starting to grow your own vegetables you may be tempted to wait until the warmer weather arrives but you will find yourself behind seasoned gardeners in the race to crop the first vegetables of the season. It is possible to sow seed and start vegetable plants in a greenhouse or even a cold frame sited in a sheltered position. At night when it is really cold the cold frame can be covered with a piece of old carpet to keep off the worst of the frost. Remember to remove it in the morning otherwise the result will be leggy vegetable plants.

Growing Potatoes

There is something satisfying about lifting your own crop of potatoes and let’s face it what tastes nicer than digging up those first young potatoes where the skin comes off to your touch, cooked immediately in a pan of boiling water and straight onto the plate with a knob of butter. Tempted? Then give potato growing a try.

The soil is too cold to plant potato tubers in February. What the gardener can do in February is to chit tubers to prepare them for planting out in mid March or early April once the soil has warmed up. Chitting just is just a way of getting the seed potatoes to sprout before planting. All seed potatoes have a more rounded end on which you will see a number of ‘eyes’. Stand the tubers with the blunt end upright and give them lots of light. An easy way, and cheap way, of keeping the potato tubers the right way up is to use old egg boxes. The potatoes are ready to be planted out when the shoots are between half an inch and one inch long.

It is not essential to chit seed potatoes but it has been shown that chitted potatoes reach maturity faster than those planted without going through the chitting process.

Chives

If your soil is workable, lift and divide clumps of chives that have become overcrowded. They are easy to pull apart into smaller clumps that can be planted 6 to 10 inches apart. These smaller clumps will soon bulk up and provide you with even more chives.

Get the best of both worlds by using chives to edge a border. Firstly they look nice in flower and secondly being on the border edge makes them easy to cut to go on those egg sandwiches.

Onions

Plant out autumn sown onions as soon as the soil is fit to do so. If the soil is cold, wet and sticky then leave until dryer and friable.

Parsley

Gardeners In warmer regions could try a small sowing of parsley in a sheltered spot. It is far too early for the main sowing but it is worth taking a chance on a small sowing that will fill a gap before the main is ready.

Turnips

If your soil is once more workable and warm try a first sowing of turnips. Cover the ground to help to keep it dry and warm before sowing and once a sowing is made cover the drill with a cloche which will help to speed up germination and cropping.

Growing Lettuce

Sow lettuce seeds thinly in a small pot of compost. Do not be tempted to sow too thickly as this will only make it harder to prick the seedling out later and the cooler conditions and lack of air flow is likely to result in rotting off.

Cauliflower

The advice for cauliflowers is the same as that for lettuce. However it is likely that you may have sown cauliflowers under glass in late January and these will now be ready for pricking out.

If you are a new vegetable gardener it is best to give cauliflower growing a miss until you have more experience. There are easier brassicas to grow!

Growing Tomatoes

Sow seed of tomatoes giving them some bottom heat and protection if you have not already sown in January. January sown tomatoes will be ready for pricking out and planting into 3 inch pots. Take care to hold by the leaves and not the stem when pricking out.

I always used to sow my tomato seeds in January but one year tried a sowing in January and a sowing in February and found that the February sowing soon caught up. Having said that I only have minimal heat in my greenhouse but if you can afford to provide higher warmth I am sure your January sowing would maintain their advantage.

Planting tomatoes in their final positions may be some time off but seeing those small plants lifts the spirits and gives the gardener something to look forward to.

Cucumbers

I do not sow my cucumbers in February because I do not maintain high heat in the greenhouse. If you are prepared to provide and maintain good heat then try a sowing in February.

Try growing the smaller fruiting varieties that mature at a size large enough to be used up at one meal. What better than picking a cucumber fresh from the plant to eat rather than storing half in the fridge for a few days?

See also:

How to Vegetable Garden in January

How to Vegetable Garden in March

How to vegetable garden in January, garden ideas for the month of the year when the weather can be dark, bleak and cold. Let us be honest, the inclement weather of winter gardening does not encourage us to do much in the vegetable garden.

The garden soil may be frozen or too wet to work and is best left alone and preferably not even walked on. Instead of working with your spade revisit your vegetable garden design perhaps incorporating a raised bed garden especially if your garden is too heavy to work or has sandy soil that does not hold water and nutrients. A raised bed vegetable garden involves planning, preparation and work in the first year but all that work pays for itself in the subsequent years.

Revisit your vegetable garden layout and rotation system to ensure the same crops are not grown in the same beds year after year which will help prevent disease build-up.

It is not too late to order garden seeds so take out your seed catalogues and choose the vegetable seed varieties that you intend to grow and put in that order.

As part of your disease prevention plan clear up any remaining crops that are now over.

Should the ground be workable incorporate as much compost and / or well rotted manure as you have available when digging over your vegetable plot.

Remember that slugs, snails and mice will still be looking for a feast so be vigilant around any growing or stored vegetables.

Brussels Sprouts

Carry on harvesting Brussels Sprouts and remember that they do not just have to be boiled or steamed, there are many ways to cook sprouts.

It pays to stake or earth up Brussels sprouts to prevent wind rock or the danger of them being blown over. There is nothing worse than going down to the vegetable garden or garden allotment and seeing Sprouts lying on the ground getting full of soil and grit not to mention being chewed by slugs.

To prevent the spread of grey mould and brassica downy mildew remove yellowing leaves.

Unless you are growing an F1 hybrid that matuers at the same rate along the haulm pick the largest sprouts from low down first.

Rhubarb

Should rhubarb be in the fruit or vegetable gardening section? Whatever your preference January is the time to start forcing rhubarb by placing a large container over the crown to encourage the fresh shoots to grow. Excluding light by use of a bucket, dustbin or made for purpose forcing jar will mean that you will be eating delicious young rhubarb much earlier in the year.

One more thing you can do for extra warmth is to put manure or straw over the top.

Chicory and seakale can be forced using the same method.

Broad Beans

Sow broad beans in January in pots and put them in a cold frame or unheated greenhouse to have broad beans ready to plant out in spring. Protect from mice.

Onions

If growing onions from seed rather than sets (small bulbs) sow now in a heated propagator and they will be ready to plant out in March. Remember that onions grown from seed need a long season to reach maturity.

Growing Potatoes

Order seed potatoes from a reliable source that can guarantee virus free stock.

Vegetable Plants to Harvest

A selection of vegetable plants that can still be harvested in January include:

• Brussels Sprouts
• Parsnips
• Celeriac
• Sprouting Broccoli
• Turnips
• Leeks
• Swedes
• Jerusalem Artichokes

Warm Your Soil for Early Sowings

Polythene sheet and bought or homemade tunnel cloches and are perfect to cover the soil in preparation for early sowings of Lettuce, Radish, Peas, Broad Beans, Spinach, Salad Onions.

Stored Vegetables

Place mice controls near stored vegetables.

Regularly check stored vegetables and remove any rotting or mouldy specimens.

Vegetable Seeds to Sow in January

The thought of vegetable planting brings optimistic thoughts of the warmer and longer days to come. Vegetable garden planting time can be closer than you imagine by starting vegetable garden seeds in January for planting out in February.

Here are some suggestions of vegetable garden seeds that can be sown under cover in January:

• Lettuce
• Cabbage
• Cauliflower
• Radish
• Spinach
• Salad Onions
• Turnip

Raised Bed Vegetable Garden

If you intend to grow your vegetables using the raised bed vegetable gardening method, January is not too late to start or complete the build of your raised beds.

See also:

How to Vegetable Garden in December

How to Vegetable Garden in February

How to vegetable garden in December with hints and tips about growing vegetables and herbs.

If November has not been very cold and affected crops and the ground we can be fairly sure that December will make up for it.

The calendar may say it is the end of the year but us for gardeners it is the time to plan for the next growing season and at the same time clear and tidy up after a busy growing year.

The shortest day is in December and although the weather may be cold and damp there is optimism that the days will lengthen and that spring does not seem that far away. It is the perfect time to start planning for the next growing season.

Here are some hints and tips for growing a selection of vegetables during the month of December:

Root Crops

Lift Carrots, Turnips and Beetroot and store. A proven method is in boxes with sand packed between the rows of roots.

Be vigilant for signs of damage or rot when storing as this can soon affect healthy root crops. It is best to do a regular check on stored vegetables, removing any rotting or mouldy specimens.

Parsnips can be left in the ground until required for the kitchen as they taste better when they have been exposed to frost.

Celery

Leave Celery in the ground until needed but mulch with straw as protection.

Brussels Sprouts

The roots of Brussels Sprouts can become loosened by the wind, weakening the plant and reducing the crop so add a support before any damage is done.

When picking sprouts off the haulm begin by selecting the largest sprouts, which will be lower down the stem.

Take off yellowing leaves as soon as you see them which will help to prevent the spread of grey mould and brassica downy mildew.

Shallots

For those lucky enough to live in a mild area and garden on well drained soil it is possible to plant shallots in December. However for those gardening on heavy clay leave planting until the soil is warmer Shallots will easily rot.

Garlic

Garlic can be planted in December if you live in a mild area and garden on well drained soil.

If you garden on a heavy clay soil it is better to delay planting as there is a good chance that your Garlic will rot off. However you could plant Garlic cloves in modules to be planted out once the soil has warmed.

Spring Cabbage

If you planted out spring cabbages earlier in the autumn some may be ready to harvest and eat as winter greens. In mild autumns it is possible to have them heart up almost as large as they would achieve by spring.

Pigeons can devastate a crop so to prevent pigeon damage cover your crop with cloches, netting or fleece.

Soil and Garden Maintenance

If you have not done so dig over and incorporate soil improvers into available sections of the vegetable plot.

Cover these areas with thick polythene to keep the soil dry and make it easier to work in the spring. A practice that is very useful for heavy clay soils. Clear polythene will increase the soil temperature, enabling earlier sowings in spring. Black polythene will suppress weeds but many professional vegetable gardeners prefer to put down a black material membrane that allows the soil to breathe and not become sour.

Clear any remaining plant debris to discourage the spread of disease.

Slugs are still active so be on your guard around your crops and during the colder months mice are also on the lookout for an easy meal.

Bay Trees

Bay trees are not totally hardy so it is best to protect them during winter.

If your tree is in a pot and is small enough, carry it into a frost free greenhouse or similar structure. If not portable:

• Wrap the top growth with horticultural fleece
• Put the pot on feet so that it has good drainage
• Keep the compost on the dry side so that it cannot freeze

I have used this method for several years and now have a very good sized Bay.

Herbs in General

Some herb species can be kept going through the winter months by potting up pieces into small pots and keeping on the kitchen windowsill. Remember that they have missed their winter sleep and it may be necessary to dispose of them in the spring.

Provide protection for the crowns of herbs that have died down for winter by adding bark, grit or similar mulch.

See also:

How to Vegetable Garden in November
How to Vegetable Garden In January

Everything you need to know about growing your own vegetables, now there is a bold statement. The first question you should be asking is whether it is possible to teach you everything and whether it is really necessary. 

Firstly the desire to create a home grown vegetable garden is truly commendable and the right thing to do if you have any suitable garden space, whether large or small. What you have to decide is whether the grow your own vegetable garden route is right for you as it is a long term commitment and not a short term fad. 

If there is one reason that is heard for not gardening, whether flower or vegetable gardening, it is because someone does not have green fingers, a brown thumb or whatever your local saying is. So is a gardener born or is gardening a skill that anyone can learn? My own view is that most people who want to learn how to vegetable garden will acquire the basic knowledge to create and maintain a home grown vegetable garden. Of course there will be a number of gardeners who are better than others but this applies to other skills and disciplines. In my case I would love to be able to draw and paint proficiently and to play a musical instrument but for me it is a struggle. If I freed up time, applied myself and had some basic lessons I am sure that I would succeed but not attain the standard I would wish. I always describe myself as a failed perfectionist! 

I was lucky enough to have a father and grandfather who were practical people with different skills. Dad was good with mechanical things and granddad could make anything out of wood and most things to do with the building trade. Both were vegetable gardeners, they had to be to help support their families. Mother was a very good seamstress and so taking all into account there is no wonder that I have never been frightened to have a go at making or maintaining something. 

But the moral of the above story is this. When I bought my first home I decided to construct a built-in wardrobe. I planned it on paper and bought the materials and fittings but when I started to build it I encountered a problem; I could not get all the openings square and obviously this meant that I would never be able to fit the doors in squarely. Luckily I had a relative who had served his apprenticeship as a joiner and he came to the rescue. He spent literally ten minutes showing me how to get everything square and left me to it. The rest was easy and those ten minutes have served me well for years, I have tackled many more difficult home construction jobs since using those basic principles. 

You see firstly I had the desire to have a go but that alone was not enough, I needed to be taught a few basics. To me learning how to vegetable garden is the same. Learn the basics of good vegetable gardening and learn the rest as you go on, do not try to learn everything before you start because you will be overwhelmed and more than likely fail. Also I have to tell you that you will never know everything you need to know about growing your own vegetables. No matter how long you garden you never know everything, each season presents new challenges. That is the exciting part and equally frustrating part of gardening. 

One thing I should add about my joinery projects, I soon found out that the jobs were made so much easier by having the right tools for the job. The same applies to vegetable gardening; buy the best tools that you can afford. The basic tools are few, a garden spade, garden fork, rake, hoe, hand trowel and hand fork. Take the garden spade as an example, a spade manufactured from stainless steel is much easier to use and will last a lifetime if looked after. If the cost of a stainless steel spade is too much then buy the best that you can afford which is just what I did. That first spade lasted me for several years but by the time the second handle gave up the fight the spade blade was about half the size it was originally! 

Growing your own vegetables is very satisfying and rewarding and entails work and time dedicated to the cause. But do have a go, just sowing those first seeds and seeing them germinate can fire you up with enough enthusiasm to try even more vegetable varieties. Imagine going into your own backyard and cropping vegetables that two minutes later are being prepared in the kitchen for your meal. Now think about vegetables that have travelled hundreds if not thousands of miles to get to your plate. Which would you prefer, is there any contest? 

That alone should be the incentive to at least the desire to learn everything you need to know about growing your own vegetables. 

It may seem as if the vegetable growing season is drawing to a close but take a closer look at how to vegetable garden in October and you will see that although the vegetable winter season approaches there are still many things to do in the vegetable garden. 

To begin with vegetable care tips, the harvesting of crops continues while gardeners in milder regions will still be sowing seeds. This is a good opportunity to begin to clear and clean plots ready for the winter and begin vegetable garden planning for next year.

Tomatoes

Now is the time to dig up any remaining outdoor tomatoes plants. For those vegetable gardeners with a greenhouse take the plants into the shelter of the house and hang them upside down to enable the fruits to ripen. For those with no greenhouse you have the option of picking the fruit and putting them in a shoe box with a banana to speed ripening or use them green in chutneys. 

Broad Beans

Broad Beans can be sown in situ if you live in a mild region and over wintered by covering the trench with fleece or cloches to provide insulation.

Peas

Once again for those gardening in milder regions sow peas in cold frames. But do remember that mice will be foraging for extra food for the winter so take extra precautions to protect your crop.

Carrots Vegetable Growing Tips

For milder climate gardeners the option is open to sow carrots in cold frames. An alternative method is to have a deep box which can be constructed easily from scrap timber and filled with compost. Sow the carrot seed and move the box into the greenhouse or shelter before any real winter weather begins.

Spring Cabbage

A very popular green vegetable so plant out spring cabbages this month. It is essential to cover your crop with netting or fleece to deter pigeons as they can devastate your crop.

Celery

Make sure that you earth up plants of trench celery so that just the top is showing. Cardboard can be used to achieve the same result. 

If you are growing a self-blanching celery variety harvest before the first frosts as these are not as hardy as the trench varieties. 

Squashes and Pumpkins

Harvest squashes and pumpkins when ripe. Store them in a cool, dry, dark place after letting the skins harden by leaving them in the sun, greenhouse or garage.

Asparagus

If you did not cut back your asparagus foliage and mulch around the plants during September then this should be done in October.

If you are planning to add an asparagus bed to your vegetable garden prepare now by digging in organic matter and grit for added drainage. Plant up in the spring. 

Root Vegetable Storage

Remember to check crops carefully and only store healthy root crops, this includes carrots, beetroot and potatoes. 

Leave parsnips in situ as frosting will improve the flavour. 

Runner Beans

Probably the last picking of Runner Beans in October as remaining beans will be tough and stringy.

Onions and Garlic Vegetable Growing

For an early crop next year plant autumn onion sets now. 

Start garlic in containers or modules and plant out when more mature.

Sprouts

To prevent grey mould problems remove yellowing leaves from Brussels Sprouts.

Digging Over the Vegetable Garden

October is normally not that warm but at the same time not too cold so take the opportunity to dig over areas of the vegetable garden where crops have been cleared.

Vegetable Garden Hygiene

Whether it is your allotment or vegetable patch at home it is best to remove all plant debris to lessen the risk of spreading disease.

Vegetable garden planting time has arrived at last. After all the hard work the fun bit begins. Did you say what hard work? If you did it can only mean that you have moved into a home with a vegetable plot already prepared, taken over an existing garden allotment or you are annoyingly young and fit!

Before your vegetable garden planting begins, as part of learning how to vegetable garden you have hopefully thought about the vegetable garden layout and prepared the ground by double digging if using the raised be or deep-bed method and have worked in a good quantity of organic material such as well rotten manure or compost. 

The step before actual planting and sowing is working your soil into a good tilth. To quote Wikipedia, good tilth is a term referring to soil that has the proper structure and nutrients to grow healthy crops. To achieve a good tilth you may have to break up lumps of earth and a good way to do this is by using the back of a garden fork. Swing the fork from side to side and strike the earth and you will find that the large clumps break up into workable crumbs. Then rake over the surface to level it, further break up the lumps of soil and remove large surface stones. 

Do not be in a rush to sow or plant but wait until the ground has warmed up sufficiently. A good way to judge is to look for signs of weed seeds germinating. 

To sow seed make a groove in the soil which is known as a drill. The depth of the drill should be just deep enough to cover the seed to about twice its diameter or if the seed is very small as shallow as you can make it to just cover the seed. For peas, rather than making the groove with a cane or the edge of a hoe, use a spade to make a shallow but wide trench so that the seeds can be broadcast (scattered) rather than in a regimented row. 

Carefully water the bottom of the drill, avoiding washing the drawn back soil into the drill. If the soil is very dry repeat this process as many times as required, letting the excess water drain away before sowing the seed. 

Sow the seed thinly; do not be tempted to sow thickly because the seed is very small. You can of course thin out the germinated seedlings and some varieties will successfully transplant to reduce wastage but some vegetable seedlings do object to being moved. A good method to use when sowing very fine seed is to firstly mix the seed into a cup that contains fine grained dry sand (not builder’s sand as this is too heavy) and then sow this mix into your drill. Draw the dry soil over to cover your seeds using your garden rake or, in the case of a shallow drill, your fingers. Gently pat down over the filled drill with the back of your garden rake or your hand to make sure the seed is in contact with the soil. If your soil is heavy clay it may be better to backfill the drill with potting compost. Do not be tempted to water the filled drill at this time as there is a danger that the top surface will form a hard crust that the young seedlings may find hard to penetrate. 

If you have purposely sown seeds thickly into a seed bed to be planted out into a fresh plot there are a couple of rules to remember. As a general rule the young plants should be carefully lifted so that neither the roots nor stem is damaged and then be planted to the same level as they were in their original home. There are exceptions to this rule such as leeks which when pencil thick make a hole with a dibber so that the leek drops in deeper than they were originally. Cabbages are buried to a depth of the lowest leaves but do not transplant until five true leaves have formed. You need to limit the shock of being moved as much as possible and it helps if you water well before and after transplanting. 

To get a head start seeds can be sown under cover and be raised in trays or pots. For small seed use a tray of good proprietary compost. Fill to about two thirds, water with a watering can fitted with a fine rose and allow to drain. Sow the seed thinly on the surface and cover with sieved compost or alternatively use Vermiculite. The latter is good in that it is lightweight, does not form a hard crust over the seed and lets in light. Many new to gardening assume that seed needs to be buried so that no light is allowed to reach but this is not the case. When the seedlings are large enough to handle, gently grip the seedlings by the leaves and “prick out” into trays of compost to grow on to planting size. Pricking out is just a term that means taking out seedlings that inevitably will be growing too close together and spacing them out in new compost. You will learn the best number of a variety to put in a seed tray by experience but if you start with 5 along the length and 4 across the width resulting in 20 plants to a tray you will not go far wrong. 

For large seed such as Broad Beans or Runner Beans sow these directly into individual pots. Two beans can be sown to a pot as insurance in case one does not germinate. 

If sowing very early you will need to give your seed warmth to get then to germinate and will need to provide warmth and shelter until the conditions outside are suitable for the plants to be put out. Do not take young plants from their cosy growing conditions and put them straight out into the soil as they will get a shock that they will not recover from or will suffer a setback. Do not be impatient; wait until the risk of frost has well and truly passed. 

Hopefully you will have kept your seed packets for reference or taken note of the wording on the packet so that you can plant out at the recommended distances apart. If using a raised bed and deep-bed method you will be able to plant closer than the recommended distances. 

Vegetable garden planting time is an exciting time and one that gives the gardener optimism and something to look forward to, all those tasty fresh vegetables that have only travelled a short distance from your garden to the kitchen. 

Vegetable watering as a subject in how to vegetable garden may seem to be something that new vegetable gardeners should know how to do instinctively, just common sense. Indeed in general that is the case but in these days of taking care about the amount of water we use it is worth looking at what the best vegetable watering methods are. 

To achieve the best crops vegetables typically need to be watered very regularly but some can give satisfactory results with hardly any extra watering. 

No matter what the vegetable variety there are critical times for vegetable watering and these are at sowing and transplanting.

The natural place to start giving hints and tips about vegetable watering is seed sowing. Having prepared your seed bed make a drill by using a cane or the edge of your hoe. Carefully pour water into the base of the drill avoiding if possible washing the soil from the edge of the drill down into the base. Allow the excess of water to drain away and then sow your seed. Cover with dry soil and do not water as this can bind the soil particles together and make it difficult for the germinated seedlings to break through. 

With your seed germinated and the plants beginning to grow away it is likely that you will now have to transplant some of the plants to give them all the room to mature to a good size. If your soil is very dry water the bed well a couple of days before transplanting as this will let the water soak into some depth rather than just sitting on the surface. Make a hole with your trowel and plant the thinned vegetable plant. At this point assess the condition of your soil. If the soil is wet to a good depth then backfill around the roots and water in but if the soil that you have excavated still looks very dry fill the hole with water and keep doing until the surrounding soil looks saturated. Back fill your planting hole. Given this good start they will soon be away in their new home. 

 The common mistake that many new to vegetable gardening or even to gardening in general is that they give daily watering that are no more than a sprinkle and only wet the very surface of the soil. This does no good as the heat of the sun will soon evaporate this and if not the roots will be tempted to look for water at the surface rather than going deep. It is far better to give the ground a thorough soaking every ten days so that a good depth so soil has water available for the vegetable plant roots. 

The exception to the ten day rule has to be for vegetables that are grown very closely together in a raised bed using the deep bed system. Obviously there is more demand for water from the soil vegetable gardening this way than the more traditional wide spaced rows. 

Now let us look at examples of the requirements of selected vegetable types. 

Potatoes are a favourite starter vegetable to grow and there is no doubt that they crop better when they have a plentiful supply of water. However if you are unable to provide a plentiful supply of water the whole season through then there is a good compromise. 

When you are starting your potatoes off, probably in May, watering well at this time will increase the number of tubers. The next critical time is late summer as watering at this time will result in a much better and healthier crop.

Another type of vegetable where watering is not so crucial is root vegetables. But again it must be stressed that if you are growing densely in a raised bed system you will need to water more frequently. 

Brussels Sprouts will seek out water but you will get better crops if you give them some help when the sprout buttons start to form.

Runner Beans like a moist soil. Dig a trench and line the base with wet paper or cardboard. Incorporate as much organic matter as you can into the backfill and the result will be that much more water will be held and made available for your vegetables roots. Cucumbers and courgettes will benefit greatly from the same treatment. 

At the other end of the scale trials have shown that onions demonstrate little gain from very regular watering.

The vegetables that you need to keep up a good level of moisture are those that bolt (flower and go to seed) in dry weather. Spinach is a classic for this but other varieties to keep an eye on are celery, cauliflower and lettuce. 

The subject of vegetable watering began by saying that it was a matter of common sense and of course the gardener has to take into consideration location, soil type and the summer weather. If your soil is light and sandy it just will not hold moisture unless you have dug in plenty of organic material. In particularly dry summers those gardening on clay can find their soil as hard as concrete. 

Of course we gardeners would love the ultimate conditions at all times, plenty of rain during the night and good sunny summer days. Unfortunately Mother Nature does not oblige!