CORVALLIS, Ore. – It’s a simple equation: If you want to grow better plants, you first need to understand the soil. “The texture of a soil is its proportion of sand, silt and clay,” said James Cassidy ...

Brian Darby receives funding from the United States Department of Agriculture. Curious Kids is a series for children of all ages. If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, send it to ...

With the gardening season approaching, it would seem appropriate to discuss the structure, texture and the pH (acidity, alkalinity or pH neutral) of the soils in your garden or raised bed, as these ...

Soil is a mixture of organic matter, minerals, air, water, and organisms (living and dead) that regularly appear under the fingernails of all gardeners. Soil is a living, diverse, and complex ...

The arrival of fall brings shorter days, cooler nights and a gradual winding down of garden activity. Flowers start to fade, while leaves turn glorious colors and begin to fall from the trees. For ...

The directors of the environmental documentary “Kiss the Ground” had made three films about oil and wanted to change it up. But when the subject of soil came up, they hesitated: How do you make a ...