The gardening season is drawing to a close for many of us, and this is a good time to assess the season and start making plans and improvements for next year. One of the most important improvements we can make (regardless of what we grow or what our plans are) is to work on improving the soil.
Of course, if you have perfect soil already, this will be less of a priority for you. Based on the stats for this site, I am guessing that those with perfect soil are in the minority. Whether we're dealing with clay soil, acidic soil, or just plain "dead" soil, there are several things you can do to improve your soil.
My number one tip for improving your soil, no matter what its issues are: add organic matter. Always. Lots of it. You really can't overdo it. Compost, grass clippings, shredded fall leaves, aged manure, used coffee grounds --- add it to the soil. Soil that is high in organic matter has better texture, more nutrients, the ability to retain moisture while still having good drainage, and plenty of life that will keep breaking down organic matter. I am still working toward soil like this in my garden. I see some improvement every year, but we have a way to go yet. When we moved here, we inherited dead soil (a result of decades of lawn chemical spraying company visits via the former owner) that was compacted, clayey, and just a pain to work with. Yes, we have our work ahead of us!
What types of soil problems are you dealing with in your garden?
Comments
It would be interesting to look at the difference between building soil in the green house and building soil that is exposed to the elements. I deal with both and the needs are definitely different because of the more ‘inert’ environment of the greenhouse. It is a micro-climate and hearing from others who deal with greenhouse growing would be very interesting.