Fine textured soils (dominated by small particles) can absorb and give of more water to plants than soils consisting of larger particles, making water management easier in most climates. On the other hand sandy soils are free draining. A sandy soil dries and warms up quicker in the spring and generally allows earlier sowing (and harvest).

Clays typically contain more nutrients and has a larger capacity to absorb nutrients in fertilisers and to release these nutrients to plants at a later time.

Vegetables are different, and there isn't one particular type of soil that is best for all vegetables. The choice of soil depends very much on your preferences. Many root crops like warm and free draining soils and do not require a lot of nutrients. Therefore they grow well in light sandy soils. If you are particularly fond of carrots this is the soil for you. Carrots can be grown successfully in heavy clay too, as in my garden, but a lighter soil is better. Clay (with lots organic matter) is superior for nutrient hungry and drought sensitive plants e.g. cabbage and cucumber.

The origin of the soil also affects the soil reaction e.i. whether soil water is acidic, alkaline, or neutral. Plants differ in their preference, but most grow well in soil that is slightly acidic. In humid areas (most parts of Europe) most soils fall in the range from acidic to neutral and the desired soil reaction can easily be attained by liming. In these regions soil reaction is not a very important issue when you select the location for the vegetable plot. In arid areas soils are often alkaline and there may also be problems with salt accumulation. Under these conditions the management of soil reaction may be a little trickier.

The wind influences both temperature and moisture. A sheltered garden is warmer and moister. Exposing your vegetables to the wind can be beneficial in hot and moist climates, but not in dry and cool. In hot and dry or cood and moist climates shelter will be a mixed blessing. Strong winds are never good as they can damage plants directly.

Many trees are excellent wind stoppers, but their root systems are large. The roots of a tree extend much further than the crown. If you don't want hungry trees to compete with your vegetables by extracting lots of nutrients and water from your vegetable garden, keep some distance. The same applies to many kinds of bushes, but raspberries, gooseberries and currants will not affect vegetables to badly and can be grown close to vegetables for wind protection (and berries).

In the spring the long shadows of a few trees can delay the growing season by weeks although these trees will not shade the soil at all during the summer.

Wet soil during the winter causes bulbs and perennial plants to rot, but more important to the vegetable gardener is that wet soils are colder in the spring because it takes a lot of energy to warm up all that water and because more water evaporates from a wet soil surface, which reduces temperature even further. Wet soils are often more than 5 degrees C colder than well-drained soils in the spring.

If you dig a deep pit it will fill with water up to the level of the water table after 2-48 hours depending on soil type. Preferably a one-meter deep pit should not fill with water at all during the summer. If you feel some hesitation in relation to the prospect of digging several deep pits, you should know that it's often possible to punch quite deep holes in the ground with a heavy iron bar.