Black soil in the country: pros and cons

Many gardeners face the problem of poor soil: some have soil that's too acidic, others too heavy, or, conversely, not fertile at all. They have to either work hard to improve the soil or abandon the idea of ​​vegetable beds and leave the plot only with lawns and trees. I can help you decide whether buying black soil for your dacha is worth it. My personal experience allows me to be your advisor in this matter.

My neighbors and I were especially "lucky": settling on the shore of an artificial reservoir, we were given plots of sandy loam soil, more like sand than garden soil. The soil contained too few nutrients and couldn't retain moisture: half an hour after the heaviest rain, the paths were completely dry.

Not to mention vegetable crops: if any of them survived, they yielded meager harvests. Or they demanded too much attention—they had to keep up with the soil's needs! Some plants (including berry bushes) simply withered due to a lack of essential nutrients in the soil.

However, sandy loam soil also had its positive aspects. Therefore, to decide whether to buy black soil for your plot, I suggest considering the pros and cons of both soil and sandy loam.

Features of sandy loam soil:

— Lightweight. This soil is easy to dig, making gardening a breeze for even the most frail young woman or elderly person: no strain or headaches from the mere thought of picking up a shovel.

— Poor soil. This point is actually both a negative and a positive! Besides vegetable crops, weeds also grow on the plot. Sandy loam soil also suppresses them, so harmful plants don't spread across the beds and don't reach the size they would in fertile soil. Moreover, the light soil makes weeds much easier to pull out; their roots don't cling to the ground as much, and therefore don't break off.

— Moisture loss. Sand absorbs water like a sponge. But it doesn't retain it; it lets it pass through, which is very detrimental to plants. This means that crops are systematically deprived of much-needed moisture: the water disappears before it can wet the root system. To somehow remedy this problem, experienced gardeners recommend slowly digging peat into sandy loam beds or adding a layer of clay to the bottom of the beds to retain moisture. But this is a very labor-intensive process, which can be very frustrating at the dacha. Not to mention that both peat and clay also need to be sourced and paid for.

Features of imported black soil:

— Weeds. New soil will likely introduce new weeds and diseases to the plot—you need to be prepared for this. For example, in our case, the black soil we brought in last fall "revealed" itself early in the spring, when the hemp plants sprouted in the beds. 🙂 No one is immune to this, so you need to monitor the new soil very carefully, at least for the first year.

— Heavy soil. After the familiar sandy loam soil, cultivating new beds with black soil may seem more challenging: plants grow stronger in such soil, and weeding is difficult.

— Better moisture retention. You also need to get used to the fact that water doesn't immediately drain into the soil after watering. This means adjusting to watering new beds less frequently, otherwise nightshade crops (tomatoes, eggplants, peppers, potatoes) may rot or develop fungal infections from excess moisture.

— Expensive. Of course, the cost of black soil for a garden plot varies by region, but it's certainly not cheap. Therefore, if you're not seriously considering growing vegetables, it's best to avoid imported soil to avoid the hassle of wasted money.

— Future soil depletion. Over the years, even the best black soil will eventually mix with your plot's native soil. And if, like us, you have sandy loam soil, the black soil's nutrients will also be lost along with the water. But you'll have 20-25 years before the soil is completely depleted, during which time you can grow vegetables more successfully (compared to sandy soil).

So, after weighing all the pros and cons, we decided to buy black soil for our dacha. The truck carrying the soil barely fit through the narrow dacha street (keep this in mind!), dumped a mountain of soil, and drove away. We had to deliver the black soil to the designated beds and level the ground, which took almost a whole day. A whole truck wouldn't be enough for the entire plot, so I advise you to think ahead about which beds you'll "ennoble" with new soil and be sure to get a garden wheelbarrow for delivering the soil. It's best not to attempt this task without a shovel and a wheelbarrow!

A year has passed since we purchased the black soil: in the spring, we planted vegetables in the new beds, and in the summer, we harvested. So, I can now share with you the results of the new soil's work.

1. The change in soil had almost no effect on tomatoes and carrots: to obtain a good harvest, these crops must be planted at the appropriate time and maintained regularly.

Find out, Which tomatoes grow in open ground without pinching?.

But the zucchini, cucumbers, and squash responded very well to the black soil! In the photo, you can see a bed divided in half: on the left (in the black soil), the zucchini have grown strong and sturdy, while on the right (in the sandy loam soil), their plants look rather weak.

2. For pumpkins, the new soil has become a real panacea. Previously, our pumpkins grew poorly: the plants were small, and the ovaries failed to develop and disappeared.

Now, in the black soil, the pumpkin's strong vines have grown to 2 meters, and the ovaries have quickly begun to increase in size. Moreover, the pumpkin fruits continued to grow even when we were away from the dacha: they survived 10 days without watering or rain!

3. Peppers also appreciated the black soil. Previously, they yielded a very meager harvest on sand: from 10 plants, only 2-3 peppers were produced per season. The plants looked frail, despite being watered regularly—twice a day.

By the way, find out, How to plant pepper seedlings.
Peppers grew quickly in black soil: the plants grew strong, and each one produced several ovaries. So, for peppers, black soil is several times more effective.

4. The beets also preferred the black soil. Despite the fact that this crop requires a lot of attention (loosening, organic and boron-rich fertilizers), the beet bed turned out very well in the black soil.

5. The legumes growing on the black soil were especially pleasing. We finally managed to grow sweet green peas, climbing beans, and even Chinese asparagus. cowpeas! All bean bushes bore fruit without exception.
6. Many gardeners don't consider greens a "serious" achievement, but they grow very poorly in sandy soil! But in black soil, both dill and parsley grew brilliantly. Lettuce was also a delight – a whole bed grew, unlike our "achievements" from last year.

So, if you're wondering whether to buy black soil for your dacha to improve your harvest, based on my personal experience, I'd recommend going for it. But keep in mind that such a purchase is unlikely to pay for itself in a year or even two. Although... seeing strong plants with beautiful fruit growing in the new soil, you won't even think about the money!