How to Prepare the Soil

If you’ve always wanted to have fresh organic produce straight from your garden, or to just eat healthier produce, then you should start your own organic garden. But, before you get started, you should know that everything in organic gardening begins with the soil.

The quality of the soil, including the particles and the variety of both micro- and macro-organisms in it, all matter in organic gardening. It’s important to have healthy soil. To determine its quality, it’s necessary to test the soil first.

Soil Inspection

Everything else starts with soil testing. This is an important process that helps you determine whether or not your soil is capable of supporting the growth of your crops. It requires checking for the presence of earthworms and other insects in the soul, as well as vigorous roots. Sometimes, it also calls for a test that can determine your soil’s level of nutrients, acidity, and the need for any adjustments. This soil test can either be done on your own with the help of test kit or by sending a sample to a soil lab.

Testing the pH

Other than assessing your soil for its compactness and the presence of micro- and macro-organisms, it’s also important to determine its pH balance. If your soil had either too acid or too alkaline, you will have a hard time growing different plant varieties. Although there are plants that can thrive in extreme pH conditions, most garden plants can only survive in a narrow range. If you want to have a bountiful organic garden, make sure that you have a soil with a balanced pH. Many garden plants thrive in soil with a pH balance that ranges from 5 to 8.

Preparing the Soil

Once you’ve determined that your soil is healthy enough to support the growth and development of your chosen plants, it’s time to do the actual work of preparing it. Here are a few things that you should do when preparing the soil for your organic garden:

1.             Dig Deep

Digging helps to loosen up the soil. It also helps prepare your garden beds for adding organic material. If you’re completely new in gardening, you can stake the soil and get it ready during autumn. This gives your soil and the amendments you’ve added enough time to settle.

Here’s a helpful tip in soil digging: if you intend to plant root crops like potatoes and carrots, dig deeper, up to a foot or more. You can make use of the technique called ‘hilling.’ It’s a technique where you mound up good soil around crops.

2.             Fill them up

If you want to be successful in organic gardening, then you shouldn’t miss a chance to add compost. It’s one of the key elements by which organic gardeners achieve their desired results. The compost can be made from the dehydrated cow manure, shredded leaves, horse manure, or a mixture of them.

Whatever is the quality of your soil — be it too acidic, alkaline, or too lousy for plant growth — you can improve it with the help of composting. This acts like a magic bullet to improve your soil. It neutralizes pH, draws more moisture into the soil, and attracts more organisms to it like earthworms.

Having an organic garden is a wonderfully fulfilling thing, not just for yourself but for your family and the environment around you as well. So start building healthy soil today.