Greetings from Your Friends at Prickly Ed's Cactus Patch, Roadside Stand, Apothecary & Native Plant Emporium

URI Master Gardener Free Soil Testing Event and Garden Advice Kiosk happening Saturday, August 27 from 9-12 at Prickly Ed's

Putting the right plant in the right place is an essential component of gardening, and the soil is at the root of garden success. It is important to test your soil every few years. To take a sample use a spade to collect a thin slice of soil from the root zone, about 6 inches down. Take about 1⁄2 cup from each of several spots in the same area (for example, the lawn or the vegetable garden) and mix them together. Allow the soil to air dry on newspapers. Put about 1 cup of the mixed soil into a clean plastic or paper bag and label it with the area it came from. Bring your soil samples to the Roadside Stand between 9am - 12pm on Saturday, August 27th and the URI Master Gardeners will test the texture and PH for free. Master Gardeners will also be on hand to answer your garden questions.

Plant in Layers for Maximum Benefits

Fall is a great time for planting. Warm soil and cooler temperatures make for happy plants. But before you get digging consider the overall plan for creating the very best habitat you can right outside your door. 

The best way to plan happy habitat for pollinators, songbirds and beneficial creatures is to closely study nature. In nature life thrives best when different ecosystems intersect. Where this happens layers of habitat form. Fundamental to habitat creation is shelter for animal and insect residents so they can hide from predators, build nests, and find protection from the elements. Unfortunately, typical suburban landscapes that consist of large swaths of open mowed lawn with one or two trees in the middle surrounded by mulch is the exact opposite of protective habitat; there is no place to hide from overhead or ground predators, or shelter from cold winter winds and driving rains. 

So let's think about layers in an ideal habitat. The canopy layer is made up trees - large and small down to shrubs and vines of different heights and sizes. Place trees and shrubs near each other to best meet the varied needs of lots of different songbirds. Next comes the herbaceous layer, your native perennials that offer seasonal interest. This is typically the showy part of your garden. Be sure to include perennials of varying heights and plan for blooming from spring through fall. For the very best design impact and maximum benefit to pollinators and wildlife plant multiples of the same variety in clumps. Landscape plugs can be a more economical way to plant in large numbers.

The final layer is the ground layer. Green mulch is made up of low growing plants, native groundcovers, sedges, ferns and more that soften the areas between taller plants and provide cover and foraging areas. And underneath it all is healthy soil. Testing your soil is a great way to gain a better understanding of what's going on underground. Read more about how designer Kelly Norris considers planting in natural layers HERE.