Loam is the kind of earth gardeners hope for: a mix of sand, clay, and old dead plants (the dark, soft stuff). The sand lets water and air move through; the clay holds a little water so roots do not dry out in a day; the dead plants feed the next plants. That is why people call it “good” soil — not because it looks fancy, but because things grow in it without as much fuss. Though actually, people use the word a bit loosely. A scientist may only call it loam if the mix of sand, silt and clay sits in a fairly tight range; a gardener may say “lovely loam” for any dark, crumbly bed that feels right in the hand. You will also hear sandy loam, clay loam, silt loam — still loam, just leaning one way. In shops, “loam-based” compost means the mix is built on this earth, not only on peat or coconut fibre. There is a rarer verb, to loam, meaning to cover something with this soil, but almost every student will meet the noun first. It sounds like home, with an l at the front.