Let’s look at soils

We can learn a lot about soil health by examining the soil and its surroundings, and this article explains how. You can carry out this inspection in any outdoor location where plants grow (e.g. garden) but make sure you have permission from the landowner to access the site and dig a hole.

You will need a spade or other digging implement and a sheet of cardboard or polythene. If you want to share your findings on our interactive map in the following step, you’ll also need a camera. If you do not know the history of the site, it is recommended to wear gloves.

Step 1. Look at your soil and the plants growing in it. Take a photograph.

The vegetable beds in this photograph clearly have a healthy soil, as the plants are thriving.

The pasture in this photograph, on the other hand, has a poor soil. The soil is compacted (you can see tractor treads in the right-hand corner), plants are struggling to grow and there are lots of bare patches and stones.

Step 2. Dig out a block of soil, as wide and deep as the spade. Place the soil block on the sheet. Pull the soil apart and examine it closely.

A healthy soil will feel crumbly and be easy to break up into pieces It will probably contain lots of plant roots and earthworms (unless the soil is very dry or cold). How deep do the roots go?

If the soil is very dry or compacted, it will not break easily into pieces. If it crumbles into fine dust, it is also a poor soil.

A healthy soil often contains dark or fibrous specks or lumps. This is the organic matter, which are the dead remains of plants or animals.

In the photo below you can see two soils compared: can you see the differences in colour? The soil on the right is darker than the soil on the left because it has a higher organic matter content.