Seed starting isn’t rocket science, yet we’ve all have our triumphs and disappointments. Here are some tips and basics to give you the advantage when starting your garden seeds this spring.

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Expansive soils are soils that shrink when dry and swell when wet, causing movement that can exert enough pressure to crack sidewalks, driveways, basement floors, pipelines and even foundations. Testing for expansive soils is a process that determines the degree to which the soil will swell when exposed to water. There are certain soils in Colorado and in other semi-arid regions that can expand up to 500% or more in volume. If building sites are not engineered properly, structural foundations that are exposed to expansive clays can crack. The degree of swelling will determine how foundations must shift in response to the clay movement, or how much pressure the foundation will be exposed to when the clay swells. Expansive soils usually do not drain easily, so a test, called hydraulic conductivity, determines the ability of water to move through the soil. If the water doesn’t move or moves very slowly, then the site needs to be engineered to allow for adequate drainage. The potential for structural damage often can be minimized or avoided altogether by following certain landscaping practices. On expansive soils, the main landscaping goal is to minimize fluctuations in soil water content. Proper surface drainage, plant choices, sprinkling practices and long-term maintenance are all important. To ensure adequate drainage before a landscape is installed, contractors grade the site away from the building. This grade should be maintained. The recommended slope within10 feet of a foundation is 10 percent, or 12 inches of vertical fall in 10 feet. Slopes greater than 20 percent can be problematic because of soil erosion. Do not remove downspout extensions and splash blocks to harvest water that runs off of the roof. Release downspout water at least 5 feet away from foundation walls. Planting near foundations definitely is not recommended for swelling soils. Do not plant flowers or shrubs closer than 5 feet from foundations built on expansive soils. If the swell characteristics of soil are minimal, if the risk of planting is deemed acceptable, and if soil treatments during construction allow for planting, then choose plants with very low water requirements. For greater moisture control, water by hand. Limit watering to the minimum needed to maintain the landscaping. For more detailed information, see fact sheet Landscaping on Expansive Soils.