Soil is the foundation to healthy plants -- now is the time to improve it

Hi, guys,

Let’s go into the vault to today to reopen an important topic that doesn’t get enough attention, even among gardeners: Soil.

I know, it’s not as exciting as flowers or fruit or vegetables, but without good soil, you can’t succeed with any of those things. And fall is the perfect time to improve it because your amendments will have all winter to work their way deep into the ground and provide you with a nutrient-rich clean slate next spring.

First things first: If you’re planning a new bed or border for next year, prepare it now. Delineate the shape and size you’d like with a garden hose, and when you’ve got it how you want it, mark the area with flour. Yep, flour, I have no idea why so many gardening folks recommend spray paint when 1) it’s toxic and 2) if you make a mistake, you have to look at painted grass until it grows and gets cut back.

Just put some flour in a gallon-sized zipper-top plastic bag, clip off one of the bottom corners and “draw” your garden bed with it.

Next, clear all vegetation from the area. Depending on the size of the bed, you can either hand-pull or dig up weeds and plants. If it’s lawn, you’ll have to remove it at the roots; a sod cutter might come in handy for large areas (you can rent one).

Regardless of whether you’re preparing a new garden area or tending to an existing one, take a soil sample. Dig three separate areas of the bed 4 inches deep and put a couple of tablespoons of soil from each section into one plastic bag or container, then mix it up. You can buy a soil pH test kit at your local nursery or bring your sample to your local cooperative extension office for testing.