What Soil Is Needed for Vegetable Plants?

Vegetables are good for us and easy to grow. If you begin your garden with good, rich soil, your plants will be healthy and productive for the entire summer season. You can turn a sandy or clay soil into a rich, loose, well-draining environment for your veggies if you add organic matter such as compost and well-rotted manure--your vegetables will reward you with a bountiful harvest.

Testing Soil

Perform a soil test before you plant. Test kits are available at nurseries and are easy to use. Vegetables thrive in soils that have a slightly acidic pH of 6.0 to 6.5. If your soil is alkaline (above 7.0), add peat moss or compost. Vegetables prefer deep soil with lots of natural ingredients such as compost and leaf mulch. Add well-composted manure, leaves or sawdust to arrive at this condition.

Clay Soil

Clay soils often can retain too much water, causing some plants to develop root rot and other problems. You can tell if your soil is clay by scooping up a handful of wet dirt. If it sticks together in a ball, chances are it's got a high clay content. Adding lime to clay soils can help, as well as adding lots of organic matter, such as leaves and compost.

Sandy Soil

Sandy soil is the opposite of clay soil: It does not retain water due to relatively large particles of sand, which comprise a large percentage of the soil. You can increase a sandy soil's fertility and capacity to hold water by adding organic materials such as compost, well-rotted manure, leaves, grass clippings or peat moss. Sandy soils are typically alkaline, so if you add lime it will increase its acidity and improve the pH.

Keeping the Soil Good

You can make sure that your vegetable garden soil remains full of nutrients throughout the summer by spreading a mulch of compost on top of the soil around your plants. Every time you water, the nutrients in compost are washed into the soil and benefit your plants. The compost eventually mixes into the soil, increasing fertility and texture. It also keeps down weeds and helps the soil to remain moist and cool. Reapply compost as mulch every three to four weeks.

Cover Crops

It's smart to start preparing your soil in the fall. Cover crops are also called "green manure." Growing a cover crop of vetch, winter peas, fava beans or clover adds nitrogen to the soil, which stimulates lush green growth. About one month before planting, cut down and chop up your cover crop and then dig it into the soil. Many different types of cover crops are used--check the Resources for ideas.

References

• Vegetable Gardener tips
• Vegetable soil needs

Resources

• OrganicGardening.com: Cover Crop Basics