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Garden Soil: From Bad To Good
The first step in good gardening is having good garden soil. Unfortunately, the vast majority of us aren’t blessed with the perfect soil that is rich and fertile, well draining, full of nutrients, and free of foreign matter. Some of us have rocky or sandy soil, or soil with a high clay content. The good news is, you don’t have to live with poor soil. Garden soil can be improved with a little time, patience, and effort.
The first step in improving your garden soil is preparation. If grass and weeds have not been removed yet, this is where you should start. If you are working with a small area, say less than 10 square feet, you can probably get by using a sharp spade and some brute force. However, if you’re removing grass from a larger area, you might want to consider renting a sod kicker or gas powered sod cutter for a day, as this will make the work faster and much easier.
Once the grass is gone, the next step is tilling. The goal of tilling is to break up any large clumps of dirt and remove foreign matter that shouldn’t be there, such as sticks and stones. Again, if you’re working with a small area, this task can be accomplished with a hoe or garden cultivator. For larger areas, an electric or gas powered rotary tiller can be enormously helpful in this process.
Once the soil is broken up, the next step is to address what you’ve got. The most common bad soil situations will fall into one of two categories: too much sand or too much clay. If you pick up a handful of your soil, squeeze it together to form a ball and it simply crumbles and falls from your hand, then your soil contains too much sand. The problem with sandy soil is that it’s too well drained; it won’t hold water or nutrients long enough for the plants to absorb them. On the other end of the spectrum, if your soil balls up into a sticky, wet mess in your hand that won’t break apart even if you try, then you’ve got too much clay. Garden soil with a high clay content will do just the opposite of sandy soil; it will hold water too well. In fact, clayey soil won’t drain at all. It is constantly wet and sticky and it’s usually also too cold to allow plants to thrive.
The good news is that both these problems can be resolved. For soil with too much clay, you can mix in sand to help it drain better. For sandy soil, clay can be added to help with water retention. A better idea, though, might be to till in some organic matter such as peat moss or compost. Organic matter has been described as the cure-all for any type of bad soil situation, and this is mostly true. When added regularly over a period of several years, compost or peat moss will take sandy or clayey soil and turn it into a rich, fertile loam that’s rich in nutrients.
It’s also a good idea to incorporate some fertilizer into your garden soil, too. While organic matter does add essential nutrients to your soil, it may not fully make up for deficiencies in the basic nutrients nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. To be certain of exactly what nutrients your soil is lacking, you may want to have the soil tested. For a nominal fee, many county extension offices will do soil testing if you mail them a sample. Or, you can buy inexpensive soil testing kits from your local garden center that will allow you to test for essential nutrients and pH of your soil. While it is recommended to test your soil before adding fertilizer, you can simply apply a basic 10-10-10 fertilizer if you don’t have time or don’t want to test first. A 10-10-10 fertilizer simply means that it contains 10% nitrogen, 10% phosphorus, and 10% potassium (also known as potash) by weight, with the remainder of the material being inert material.
With some time and effort, and the right materials for amending, even the poorest quality garden soil can be turned into a rich and fertile soil that will be perfect for growing all kinds of plants. Remember that the key steps are preparation, tilling, and finally amending with organic matter and fertilizers, as needed. With these steps, plus a good dose of patience, you can take your garden soil from bad to good, and your plants will thank you for it!
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Hound Dog Products HDP1-6 Weed Hound $21.32 The Hound Dog Products “Weed Hound” stand-up weeder pulls weeds by their roots quickly and easily! It requires no bending and no chemicals, making weeding easier both on you and on your garden. The weeder can also be used to aerate soil for a healthier lawn. Like all Hound Dog Products tools, the Weed Hound features durable steel construction and rust-proof finishes for long-lasting wear; its comf… |
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Sun Joe TJ600E Tiller Joe Garden 14-Inch 6.5 amp Electric Tiller/Cultivator $132.00 The Sun Joe Tiller Joe TJ600E Electric Tiller/Cultivator holds the power found in a gas tiller with the convenience of electric power. Weighing in at 17 lbs the Tiller Joe is easy to use in any situation; such as starting a new garden or recovering an old lawn. Its four steel angled tines enable the Tiller Joe to loosen the ground and make any planting or dirt removal easier than with hand tools; … |
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Black & Decker GC818 18-Volt Cordless Electric Garden Cultivator $78.25 The Black & Decker 18-volt cordless rechargeable garden cultivator is ideal for cultivating garden beds, landscape beds and weeding. This garden cultivator also preps beds for planting and prepping dry and dead spots for seeding. The 18 volts of power provide an effortless and quick way to weed and aerate soil. The long tines are small enough to maneuver in between plants and counter-oscillating t… |
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Easi Grip Long Reach Garden Tools – Cultivator $34.95 The Long Reach Garden Tool Cultivaator is the solution for gardeners who work in a seated position to reach ground level without bending over. The Ergonomically angled handle keeps the hand and wrist in a natural and comfortable position, while the length of the tool eliminates the strain on the back and shoulders of those who garden in a seated position. The “Soft feel” non-slip grip handle giv… |
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Easi Grip Garden Tools – Cultivator $10.49 Easi Grip Garden Tools – Cultivator Easi Grip Garden Tools . Garden tools take the strain and discomfort on hands and wrists out of gardening for all gardeners. . Ergonomically angled handle keeps the hand and wrist in a natural position. . Stainless steel metal section helps prevent soil adhesion. . The “soft-fell” non-slip grip prevents the tools from turning in the hand, giving … |
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Easi Grip Garden Tools Cultivator $11.95 The Easi Grip Garden Tools Cultivator has an ergonomically angled handle to keep the hand and wrist in a natural position, taking the strain and discomfort out of gardening.The stainless steel metal section helps prevent soil adhesion. The soft feel non-slip grip prevents the tools from turning in the hand, giving a firmer grip even in wet conditions. Easi Grip Garden Cultivator Features: Stain… |
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Radius Garden Natural Radius Grip Cultivator 103 $7.18 … |
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6-pc. Gardening Seat And Tool Set $36.15 Gardening just got easier with the Gardener – Botanica by Picnic Time! The Gardener – Botanica is a folding seat and detachable polyester storage tote all-in-one. The storage tote has two zippered openings, one on the backside and one on the top for easy access from any angle. It conveniently holds 5 metal garden tools (large trowel, small trowel, garden fork, rake and weeder) on the exterior of t… |
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