Soil - Managing and improving

Soil is the foundation of everything you grow on an allotment. Healthy soil holds water, feeds plants, resists pests and disease, and improves year after year. Poor soil leads to weak crops, constant watering, and disappointing harvests.

This guide explains how to understand your soil, improve it naturally, manage it through the seasons, and avoid common mistakes — whether you dig or garden no-dig.

🌱 1. Why Soil Health Matters on an Allotment

Good soil:

• supports strong root systems

• holds moisture during dry periods

• drains excess water in winter

• feeds soil life, which feeds plants

Most allotment soils start off:

• compacted

• low in organic matter

• poorly structured

The good news: soil can always be improved, often faster than people expect.

🧪 2. Understanding Your Allotment Soil

Common Soil Types

Clay soil

• Heavy, sticky when wet, cracks when dry

• Holds nutrients well but drains slowly

Sandy soil

• Light, free-draining, warms quickly

• Loses water and nutrients easily

Loam

• Balanced, crumbly, ideal

• Most allotments aim to move towards this

👉 Most plots are a mix, not a single type.

Simple Soil Tests (No Equipment Needed)

Texture test

• Rub moist soil between fingers

• Sticky = clay

• Gritty = sandy

• Crumbly = loam

Drainage test

• Dig a hole and fill with water

• If it drains within a few hours: good

• If it sits overnight: drainage needs work

🌾 3. Improving Soil Naturally (The Core Principle)

The single most important rule of soil management:

Add organic matter regularly.

Organic matter:

• feeds soil organisms

• improves structure

• increases water retention

• reduces compaction

Best Soil Improvers for Allotments

Compost

• Improves structure and fertility

• Ideal as mulch or top dressing

Well-rotted manure

• Adds nutrients and organic matter

• Best applied in autumn or winter

Leaf mould

• Excellent for moisture retention

• Low nutrient, high structure benefit

Green manures

• Plants grown then dug in or cut

• Improve structure and protect bare soil

4. Digging vs No-Dig on an Allotment

Traditional Digging

Pros

• Fast initial improvement on neglected plots

• Buries weeds and surface debris

Cons

• Disturbs soil structure

• Brings weed seeds to surface

• Physically demanding

No-Dig Gardening

Pros

• Improves soil life and structure

• Fewer weeds long-term

• Better moisture retention

Cons

• Requires patience initially

• Needs regular organic matter

👉 Many allotment holders use a hybrid approach: dig once, then maintain no-dig.

🍂 5. Managing Soil Through the Seasons

Spring

• Avoid working wet soil

• Add compost before planting

• Light forking only if compacted

Summer

• Mulch heavily to conserve moisture

• Avoid leaving soil bare

Autumn

• Add manure or compost

• Sow green manures

• Remove spent crops

Winter

• Protect soil from rain and compaction

• Cover beds with mulch or green manure

💧 6. Soil, Water & Compaction

Healthy soil:

• absorbs water easily

• drains excess moisture

• resists cracking

To reduce compaction:

• never walk on beds

• use defined paths

• avoid digging when soil is wet

Compacted soil causes:

• poor root growth

• waterlogging

• weak plants

🌱 7. Feeding Soil, Not Just Plants

Rather than relying on feeds:

• build fertility into the soil

• let soil organisms release nutrients slowly

Liquid feeds are useful for:

• containers

• stressed plants

• fruiting crops

But they cannot replace good soil structure.