Building healthy soil is the first step to having a productive garden.
You might already have fantastic soil in your yard and don't even know it, but, more likely than not, your soil needs some work to build a good foundation of humus your plants will need.
Let's take a look at some of the most common issues facing beginning gardens with soil problems.
First off, ideal soil has the following breakdown: 40% Rock / Minerals 25% Water 25% Air 10% Organic Matter The soil should be easily workable, dry out relatively quickly, but still retain water for a number of days without irrigation.
Getting to this point can take some time and effort, though.
You're soil is likely too clayey or too sandy.
If this is the case, adding a good amount of organic compost is a great way to build soil fertility relatively quickly.
When you till your soil in the late fall or spring, make sure to throw a generous 3'' - 5'' layer of compost on top of the soil.
For clayey soils, the compost will provide air and drainage for the soil.
In sandy soils, the compost will retain water and limit air flow.
In both cases, it will increase the beneficial bio-diversity in the soil.
Also consider growing 'green manures' (aka cover crops) for a year before starting your garden.
Broadcast a generous amount of clover, vetch, oats, or any other cover crop seed over the area you want to put your garden.
Once it germinates and grows up a couple feet, mow it down just when it starts to flower.
Let it decompose on top of the soil for about a week, till into the soil lightly, and plant more cover crop.
Repeat this over the course of the year - you should be able to squeeze in four successions.
The result the following year will be rich, beautiful humus, ready to grow your veggies or flowers.
Always be sure to add complete organic fertilizer to any plant you put into the soil.
This will give your plants the boost they needs to grow into large plants.
Once you've established good soil with solid structure, you should not need to till it anymore.
You will simply need to do a light weeding by hand or with a hoe, followed by a light application of compost to add some of the organic material that is lost throughout plant generations.
Gardening will become an easy, enjoyable task!
You might already have fantastic soil in your yard and don't even know it, but, more likely than not, your soil needs some work to build a good foundation of humus your plants will need.
Let's take a look at some of the most common issues facing beginning gardens with soil problems.
First off, ideal soil has the following breakdown: 40% Rock / Minerals 25% Water 25% Air 10% Organic Matter The soil should be easily workable, dry out relatively quickly, but still retain water for a number of days without irrigation.
Getting to this point can take some time and effort, though.
You're soil is likely too clayey or too sandy.
If this is the case, adding a good amount of organic compost is a great way to build soil fertility relatively quickly.
When you till your soil in the late fall or spring, make sure to throw a generous 3'' - 5'' layer of compost on top of the soil.
For clayey soils, the compost will provide air and drainage for the soil.
In sandy soils, the compost will retain water and limit air flow.
In both cases, it will increase the beneficial bio-diversity in the soil.
Also consider growing 'green manures' (aka cover crops) for a year before starting your garden.
Broadcast a generous amount of clover, vetch, oats, or any other cover crop seed over the area you want to put your garden.
Once it germinates and grows up a couple feet, mow it down just when it starts to flower.
Let it decompose on top of the soil for about a week, till into the soil lightly, and plant more cover crop.
Repeat this over the course of the year - you should be able to squeeze in four successions.
The result the following year will be rich, beautiful humus, ready to grow your veggies or flowers.
Always be sure to add complete organic fertilizer to any plant you put into the soil.
This will give your plants the boost they needs to grow into large plants.
Once you've established good soil with solid structure, you should not need to till it anymore.
You will simply need to do a light weeding by hand or with a hoe, followed by a light application of compost to add some of the organic material that is lost throughout plant generations.
Gardening will become an easy, enjoyable task!
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