What's a soil family tree?

Want a better garden? Start by understanding your soil’s family tree. Having trouble viewing this email? [View this email on the web.]( [OFA Banner]( [Soil Family Tree]( [Want a better garden? Start by understanding your soil’s family tree.]( [Hero]( Photo Credit: Shutterstock Dear Reader, We all know the joy of digging our hands into warm garden soil. Rich and complex, it falls from our fingers back to the earth as we plant herbs, vegetables, and flowers. Just mention “soil,” and a gardener may immediately feel the sun on their back and hear bees buzzing nearby. Of course, as gardeners, we also know that “soil” differs by location. Some of us have sandy soil, while others have layers of thick clay under our feet. The simple fact is that soil is key to our garden’s success, which is why we continually add compost, fertilizer, ground covers, and whatever else we can find to help our plants grow better. What you might not know is that your soil is part of a family. More specifically, your soil is made of ingredients called “parent material.” [Image - Chart]( This parent material may come from ancient inland ocean beaches, sediment deposits from glacial till, or other similar sources. Each variation of parent material contains clay, rock, sand, silt, macronutrients, and micronutrients in varying amounts. Why does this matter? The combination of soil attributes from the parent material gives any soil its character and natural tendencies, which impact things like pH, soil structure, disease and pest management, water-retention capacity, and so on. [Image - Chard]( Photo Credit: Shutterstock On the practical side, all of this means that we gardeners can have the key to better gardens simply by understanding how to manage our soil, whether the parent material is heavy clay, sand, or something in between. If you’ve ever wondered about your soil or weren’t sure how to improve your garden, this is a must-read topic. And it’s in digtial edition of the 2023 Garden Guide, which comes with your membership in The Old Farmer’s Almanac Gardening Club. The 2025 Gardening Club is HERE! [OFIE Image]( Club Members Perks: - Receive premier gardening advice - Be the first to recieve the 2025 Garden Guide - Attend Members-Only Q&A Sessions hosted by Almanac editors - Members save over 30% and unlock digital benefits [Join Today]( Wildfire Fighters [Image - Aspen]( Photo Credit: Shutterstock Did you know that a Gardening Club membership unlocks access to our entire Garden Guide collection? That's right! Gardening Club members can browse Garden Guides going back to 2014 in our online library! You can read about everything from garden gnomes (including the original “human” gnomes) to perfect perennials to garden planning. Of course, while no plant is fireproof, some are more resistant to fires than others. Plants that have fleshy or moist leaves, thick bark, low levels of oil or resin, and a deep taproot are good options. For instance, deciduous trees are less flammable than evergreens because they have a higher moisture content when in leaf and a lower fuel volume when they’re dormant. Want to learn more? You can read the entire article in the online edition of the 2019 Garden Guide as part of your membership in the Old Farmer’s Almanac Gardening Club. New This Year LIVE Q&A Sessions with Almanac Editors! Gardening Club members recieve exclusive invitations to live Q&A Sessions Almanac hosted by the editors of The Old Farmer's Almanac! Become a member of the Old Farmers Almanac Gardening Club today, and you’ll never run out of advice, tips or inspiration! 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