Amazing Little Shovelful...

I hadn't realized how much pleasure a little thing could be... LOOSE SOIL!

For the last 2 weeks I have been digging old azaleas from a neglected bed for a client. Most had to come out with a pickaxe because the ground was too hard for just a shovel. Even breaking up the ground afterwards was a heavy chore but nothing would grow if I didn't.... plus ammending it.

All of my gardening experiences are since I moved to this rocky/heavy clay soil area and had no comparisons until the past 2 days.

Not wanting to just throw away 15 azaleas I saved from the job, I saved them for a family member's new vacation home about a hundred miles away. I took them down on Sunday evening, and on Monday when I started to dig in the area I had a BIG pleasant surprise!

I never hit even one rock, and the shovel went in like a knife into room temperature butter!!! The dirt in that area is sandy loam and this was my first experience digging in anything but hard clay. Since that's near the area where I want to move next year, you can bet that I will take my shovel when I go to look at property to buy.

Of course, her soil needs nutritional amendments, but I'm still smiling at how easy it was to dig!

Darius, I know what you mean. I don't have really hard soil, but it is full of rocks. When I first moved here I tried to dig up a little area to grow watermelons. I'm surprised I didn't break my back. Little did I know there used to be a driveway in my backyard - I was trying to dig through asphalt.

Hi Darius. I grew up in Asheville, but know little about the soil. My Mother had the greenest thumb in the world so I never did any gardening. I have just started and the soil here (Ft. Pierce, FL) seems to have a lot of sand in it, and is very loose. It also has MANY moles in the yard. Will they dig in any planting beds, or should I do mostly container gardening? I do want to set out a lot of Azaleas.
Pati

Pati... Mole4s will dig in the beds. Instead of limiting yourself to container gardening, although that's good for places with very sandy soil, I'd get a cat. Moles (and voles) will soon disappear!

I didn't know azaleas would grow that far south. I thought they needed a cold spell... haven't checked any database though, for zones.

Darius... I have a 24 lb Tom Cat that is too cool (and lazy) to hunt, but have two mini Dachshunds that caught one! I really hate to get rid of the moles, they are the Doxie's main source of exercise - following those trails.
I see a lot of Azaleas planted in this area. I brought one with me from Miami in a pot. It's spindly and poor looking, but still blooms twice a year. I'm hoping that the ones I bought from a local nursery are a variety that will do well here. I lived for a while in Savannah, and lost my heart to the wonderful Azaleas in their parks.
Pati