By JOYANNA LOVE/ Senior Staff Writer

A good vegetable garden starts with having good soil and a good location.

This was the focus of the most recent talk in the Gardening at the Library series at the Chilton/Clanton Public Library on June 20.

Master Gardener Larry Jones outlined the different types of native soil compositions found in Alabama. Chilton County has red clay in Clanton and some other area, while the southern part of the county has sandy soil.

Clanton is in the Piedmont soil area, which “was once the richest soil, the most productive soils in the Western Hemisphere,” according to Jones.

He said overuse of the soil without restoring nutrients and erosion has depleted the soils, so now more care has to be put into the soil to have a successful garden.

“Topsoil is made of air and water, 50 percent … 47 percent is minerals, and only 3 percent is organic material,” Jones said.

He said he adds compost to his soils to increase the organic material to 40 or 50 percent of the topsoil’s elements.

Compost can be any organic matter that is not meat, bone, grease or dairy. Small bits of paper and cardboard can even be used as a part of the mix.

Compost can even help things grow in red clay, Jones said.

A soil test is recommended to know the nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium) that are needed and the pH level. Jones said soil test kits are available through the Chilton County Extension Office. The pH level impacts how many nutrients are actually absorbed by the plant from the soil.

“Vegetables need 5.8 to 6 pH,” Jones said.

Lime is often used to raise the pH in soil. Sulfur or aluminum sulfate is used to lower the pH.

Jones said it is important to use these products as directed on the package.

Lime is not water soluble and has to be mixed into the soil, Jones said.

“It has to be tilled in some way,” Jones said. “It has to be in contact with the soil.

He also emphasized choosing a location with good drainage, where water will seep into the soil or run off slowly.

“A lot of people use what they call a perc test,” Jones said. “It will tell you what kind of soils you got. It gives you an idea how fast that water is going to soak out.”

The location also needs to have four to six hours of sunlight.

A fence to keep deer from eating the young plants is crucial, Jones said.

The garden also needs to be close enough to a water source for easy access.

Timing is also important. The temperature the soil needs to be to plant a seed varies for vegetables. The Extension Office has information about the recommended temperatures for a variety of vegetables. The Chilton County Extension Office is also available to answer gardening questions at (205) 280-6268.