Where

Where you have available to grow is the most important factor.

 Certain plants can and cannot be grown outdoors,

This is due to the Climate and Weather in the area, Along with the amount of daylight hours and availability of light.

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Summary:

Certain plants cannot grow in certain areas due to the weather and temperature being too cold for them to survive.

Plants also require specific amount of sunlight to thrive, Some being shade loving, others love full sun.

Your Soil type will affect how well your plants do, For example, carrots in heavy clay may be stunted whereas potatoes can do well, or a fruit tree will do poorly in sandy soil, due to the lack of available water and minerals.

The pH level of your soil will affect what you can grow as only certain plants can grow in acidic soils, whereas most prefer neutral soils.

The Drainage of your soils will affect water availability, Aeration, Root penetration and nutrient availabilty in your plants.

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Climate

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Click Here to see the USDA growing Zonemap of the UK, Which shows the growing zones of parts of the UK, These Zones are important as they show how the climate is different depending on your location and how that climate is suitable for different plants, Find your location on the Zonemap and use the RHS Hardiness sheet to assist with seeing what you're able to grow.

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This Is only necessary for certain plants, Such as Cirtus plants which arn't Hardy in the UK as they need a minimum winter night temperature of 10°C (50°F) is needed for lemons and limes. Calamondin oranges need a minimum winter night temperature of 13°C (55°F). Although, They can be grown Outdoors in Summer In pots and brought Indoors during winter.

Certain varieties of Fig also struggle outdoors in parts of the UK and will require protection during winter.

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Sunlight

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Availability of light is an important factor in Backyard growing.

If your garden never sees an hour of sunlight throughout the day then you'll struggle to grow a great many things,

 

Luckily however many vegetables will grow quite happily on only 2-4 Hours of sunlight a day, For Example;

Brassicas such as Cabbage and Kale only need around 4 hours of light per day,

As does Swiss Chard, Lettuces, Radishes, Carrots, Rhubarb, Garlic, Broccoli, and Broad beans.

 

Certain plants however like as much light as they can get around 6-8 Hours a day, For example;

Green Beans, Chilli Peppers, Courgettes, Cucumbers, Tomatoes, Peppers, Squash, Potatoes and Corn

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And certain Vegetables prefer partial sun, which is around 4-6 hours a day, for example;

Peas, Onions, Leeks, Beetroots.

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Soil type

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Different Plants prefer different soil types, As it will affect how they grow.

Soils can be different in many different ways, Such as;

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• Texture

• Shape

• Mineral Content

• pH Level

• Drainage

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Soil Texture

Soil texture is the method used to classify soils based on their physical texture based on their partical size as shown:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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There are 11 different soil textures identified by the US classification system shown here, Which are;

sand, loamy sand, sandy loam, loam, silt loam, silt, sandy clay loam, clay loam, silty clay loam, sandy clay, silty clay, and clay.

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This Texture triangle is important as it is one of the major identification methods of soils, used to determine the best plants for each site, The texture of soil also impacts several the other features of soils, for example, Clay soils have poorer drainage than sandy soils, but are more resistant to mineral leaching and erosion, and vice versa.

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Different types of soil textures:

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Clay:

Clay soils are often called heavy soils and contain over 30% clay particles overall, they have the following features;

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• Clays swell and shrink as they wet and dry, effectively cultivating themselves.

• Clays are colder and will take longer to warm up in spring.

• Clays shape is easily damaged or altered when stepped on whilst wet (Never walk on wet clay soils!)

• Clays are water retaining so are more draught resistant than other soils.

• Clays are sticky and resist erosion better than other soils.

• They have low porosity so poor drainage and aeration, this also makes it harder for plant roots to establish.

• Clays are usually rich in nutrients but their availability to plants can sometimes be poor (see Cation exchange capacity)

• Clay soils are heavy and hard to work

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Sand:

Sandy soils are often easier to work but dry out quickly and retain nutrients poorly, They have the following features;

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• Sandy soils drain quickly.

• Sandy soils are susceptable to leaching and have poor nutrient retention.

• Sandy soils are very susceptable to erosion.

• Sandy soils warm up quickly and are often warmer.

• Sandy soils are often very acidic.

• Sandy soils have high drainage and aeration due to large pore spaces.

• Sandy soils are easy for plant roots to become established in.

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Silt:

Silty soils are often fertile, and have decent moisture retention but are easily compacted, they have the following features;

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• Silty soils are fertile and high in nutrients.

• Silty soils hold a good amout of moisture but also have good drainage.

• Silty soils are very prone to erosion.

• Silty soils have medium sized pore spaces leading to good aeration.

• Silty soils are easily compacted.

• Silty soils are easy for plant roots to become established in.

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Loam:

Loamy soils are often the perfect balace point between the 3 soils types above, They have the following features;

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• comprised of a mixture of clay, sand and silt, they avoid the extremes of clay or sandy soils.

• They are fertile,well-drained and easily worked.

• They can be clay-loam or sandy-loam depending on their predominant composition and cultivation characteristics

 

Identification:

There are several methods of identifying soil texture, such as;

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• Texture by feel  - A method of rolling and squishing soil in your hands to determine rough texture analysis.

• Hydrometer method. - This is an analysis method of suspending soil particles in liquid and calculating the density.

• Pipette method. (Very Scientific, not suitable for home testing)

• Sieve method.- Sieveing through a set of sieves to determine particle size.

•  Particulate of organic matter method (POM) - Walkley-Black acid digestion method or weight loss on ignition method.

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Soil Shape

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Soil Shape is an important factor as it affects soil drainage and the workability of the soil, as well as it's erosion resistance.

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The Image above show the different types of soil shape and forms, and it has the following effects:

The more angular the grain shape, The better water is held within it in the form of hygroscopic water. Angular grains are also grippier and hold together better.

The form of the soils have a larger impact however;

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Granular soils drain easily, but also allow roots to grow readily, they have high nutrient avaialbility but are prone to leaching.

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Blocky Soils are more common in areas of clay, these clumps make for fairly good root access but have poorer drainage and nutrient availability.

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Prismatic soils are usually found in clays as well, but deeper down, they are caused by the contraction and expansion of the soil, causing it to crack, Similar to columnar but not as severe.

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Columnar soils are usually found in draught ridden places and very arid locations, not much can grow in this type of soil.

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Platy soils are usuitable for growing in, this is caused by comapction, such as walking on soils when wet, and is especially prevelent in clay soils, even when digging is employed in clay soils, these 'pans' of clay will form at the base of where you dug, it causes a tonen fo issues including poor root penetration, terrible drainage / aeration and poor habitat for soil organisms,  avoiding this type of soil form is on of the advantages of the no dig method.

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Single grained soils have the opposite issue of platy soils, where they have terrible water retention, nutrients leach straight out of them and they are very susceptable to erosion, which the soils sometimes just blowing away.

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Soil Mineral Content

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Soil mineral content is important as it is literally plant food, Without minerals and nutrients, nothing would grow.

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Mineral: A mineral is, broadly speaking, a solid chemical compound that occurs naturally in pure form. Minerals are most commonly associated with rocks due to the presence of minerals within rocks.

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Nutrient: any substance (such as a chemical element or inorganic compound) that can be taken in by a green plant and used in organic synthesis

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Major nutrients:

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Nitrogen (N) - Encourages Vegetative growth, Important for leafy greens.

Phosphorous (P) - Important for root growth and fruit ripening.

Potassium (K) - Essential for good flower and fruit formation.

Magnesium (Mg) - Required for Photosynthesis and movement of phosphorus.

Calcium (Ca) - Required for activity in meristems and major part of cell walls, may be unavailable in acid soils.

Sulfur (S) - Required for Cholorphyll production, Used in Protein and Enzyme production, rarely deficient.

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Minor nutrients:

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Iron (Fe) - Required for Cholorophyll Production, Used in Enzymes.

Manganese (Mn) - Used in Cholorophyll production, Used in Enzymes.

Boron (B) - Makes calcium available within the plant, helps move sugars and synthesis of gibberelin.

Copper (Cu) - Involved in proper Enzyme function, rarely deficient.

Zinc (Zn) - Involved in Enzyme function and required for pollen production.

Molybdendum (Mo) - Helps with Nitrogen uptake and root nodule activity, rarely deficient.

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Nutrient availabilty:

Soil acidity can affect the availabilty of nutrients

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Nutrients restricted in acid soils:

Nitrogen

Calcium

Phosphorus

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Nutrients restricted in alkaline soils:

Iron

Manganese

Zinc

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Soil pH

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Soil pH (a measure of acidity and alkalinity of a solution that is a number on a scale 1-14)

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The pH of your soil is an important factor whilst growing as Certain plants will not grow outside of a certain pH range, In general most plants prefer neutral soils, Some however require a different pH;

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Some of the very finest fruits come from the acid-loving berries, a family with members such as;

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Blueberry, Raspberry, Cranberry, Lingonberry and Whinberry, and Citrus fruits.

 

All these  grow naturally in acidic soils somewhere between pH 4.0 and 5.0.

Neutral soil has a pH of exactly 7.0, with acidic soils sitting below this level and alkaline soils above it.

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Drainage

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Water is a vital part of growing, Certain plants need much more water than others and some are draught resistant

 

Water is an important factor and is impacted by many things, for example;

If your garden features a gigantic tree,It will have an impact on the amount of water in your soils,

due to the tree roots drawing up massive amount of water, especially during summer.

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Thirsty plants:

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Tomatoes

Lettuce

Cabbage

 Fruit trees

Strawberries

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Draught resistant plants:

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Mature Rhubarb

Legumes

Peppers

Chickpea

Lima Bean

Swiss chard

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Factors affecting water availability:

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Soil type - Clay soils retain more water but also make it harder for plants to get the weater from them, sandy soils have trouble retaining water but the water is easily absorbed by the plants when available.

 

Competing plants - Trees are the biggest culprit for this, Large mature trees take up gallons of water per day, meaning plants growing near their canopy have less chance to take up water before it's gone, Weeds can also cause this problem when widespread.

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Slopes - Water runoff can be a problematic on steeply sloped areas, this is where the water instead of permeating into the ground, Mostly runs downhill due to gravity causing problems with erosion and a suprising lack of water in affected areas.

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Ponds and hard landscaping - This such as ponds or patios have effects on water availability in gardens, this is due to the amount fo water runoff on patios can cause flooding in lower areas of the garden, Similarly, Ponds can flood affecting areas nearby.

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Your soil drainage will also affect water availability, For example,

Clay soils retain lots of water but stay cold and are hard to work, creating pans when dug which create barriers that prevent water draining through.

Sandy soils poorly retain water but stay warm and easy to work, However they are suseptable to erosion and nutrient leaching.

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The best soils are loams for this, they hold a good amount of water and nutrients, and are easily workable and don't form pans.

An example of a loam is Potting compost, with a high organic matter content.