Friable soil is a term you may have already come across but like a lot of jargon it is very rarely actually explained when mentioned so I thought a quick post on what this actually is might be of use.

The clue is in the word “friable” which isn’t a word that crops up in regular conversation however it is usually defined in the dictionary as “easily broken up, crumbly”.

So I think we can guess that friable soil rather than having some great cooking related properties is soil that is crumbly and easily broken up.

Now in the gardening world, friable soil is pretty much the perfect kind of soil to have – if you like the Goldilocks of soils – not too heavy, not too light – just right.

There are plenty of places where you can enjoy in-depth and totally exhausting detail on soil composition but essentially friable soil contains the proportions of clay, silt and sand (the constituents of soil) that result in this ideal crumbly texture. 

By not being too heavy (in other words, holds lots of water) and not too light (holds little water), friable soil provides the best soil for water, nutrient and organic matter retention.  This is what we are looking for in our gardens so we can get the best from our plants.

If you want to a bit more detail about friable soil including how to check your own, the article mentioned below is an easy read and avoids getting too technical: