Daily gardening tip · Southern hemisphere · Tuesday 18 August 2026 · late winter
Testing soil moisture with the squeeze test
Testing your soil's moisture today prevents you from damaging its structure before spring planting begins.
5 minuteseasysoil
Scoop up a handful of soil from your garden bed.
Squeeze the soil tightly in your fist to form a ball.
Open your hand and gently poke the ball with one finger.
Observe if the soil crumbles easily or stays in a sticky, muddy clump.
Delay any digging or planting if the ball does not crumble, as the soil is still too wet.
Why it works
Digging or walking on wet late-winter soil squeezes out the tiny air pockets that plant roots need to breathe. If the soil ball crumbles easily when poked, it is dry enough to work without turning into hard, compacted clods that ruin soil structure.
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