SoilSidekick is a practical field journal for home growers and allotment keepers. Guided soil sampling routines, plain-language pH and nutrient charts, seasonal amendment schedules, and crop rotation templates built for real garden beds — not lab reports.
Ongoing work and upcoming guides from the SoilSidekick bench — soil trials, planning tools, and garden systems we are building for home growers.
SoilSidekick turns scattered observations into a working record you can act on. Each season, you build a clearer picture of your beds, your amendments, and the crops that respond to them.
Guided sampling routines show you where to dig, how deep, and what to look for. You stop guessing and start reading the ground with a simple, repeatable method.
Sampling routinePlain-language charts translate test results into practical actions. You see whether your beds lean acidic or alkaline and which crops will settle in without a fight.
pH interpretationSeasonal schedules match compost, lime, and organic matter additions to your regional climate. You apply the right input at the right time, not just when you remember.
Amendment calendarRotation templates built on plant families help you break disease cycles and keep nutrients moving. Your beds stay productive year after year, even on a small plot.
Crop rotation planObservation prompts guide you through simple checks for water pooling, root depth, and soil structure. You catch problems while they are still easy to fix.
Drainage checkCompost management notes help you track what you add, how it breaks down, and what your soil actually needs next. Your beds grow richer with every season.
Compost trackingMost soil advice stops at theory. This field journal is built around what you can actually observe, measure, and adjust in your own beds — season after season.
Each entry walks you through a specific sampling pattern — where to dig, how deep, and how many cores to take per bed. You get a repeatable method that produces comparable results across the season, so trends become visible instead of guesswork.
Instead of dense lab reports, you get interpretation tables that connect pH readings and nutrient levels to the crops you actually grow. The charts note regional variations and tell you when a reading is worth acting on — and when it isn't.
Amendment timing is matched to regional frost dates and rainfall patterns, not a generic calendar. The schedules separate quick fixes from long-term organic matter building, so you know what to add now and what to plan for next autumn.
Rotation plans are designed around plant families and realistic bed counts, with alternatives for tight spaces. Each template includes cover crop options and notes on which gaps to leave fallow, helping you prevent disease without sacrificing variety.
Every section includes hands-on prompts — checking drainage after rain, noting compaction layers, tracking worm activity. These small habits turn routine gardening into a practice of reading your soil, and they work whether you manage two raised beds or a half-acre.
The advice comes from working plots, not lab simulations. Methods are refined through real seasons with real failures — dry spells, waterlogged springs, and pest pressure — so what you read has already survived conditions similar to yours.
Learn how to test pH at home and what the numbers mean for your crops, from nutrient availability to choosing the right amendments.
A practical look at the biology of decomposition, including carbon-to-nitrogen ratios, moisture, and how to fix a pile that's gone wrong.
Flexible rotation templates based on plant families, with examples for different climates and growing seasons.
A month-by-month guide to adding organic matter, adjusting pH, and feeding your soil without guesswork.
Simple explanations of the organisms that build healthy soil, and how to support them with your gardening choices.