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Step 1
Get soil amendments for a flower or vegetable garden before planting in spring, or anytime you're doing much planting.
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Step 2
Choose from a local array of amendments, such as ground bark, rice hulls and mushroom compost. A good all-purpose choice is composted manure, which consists of manure and wood chips, wood shavings or sawdust.
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Step 3
Before planting a bed, add a 2- or 3-inch (5 to 7.5 cm) layer of soil amendment, and dig it in to a depth of 6 inches (15 cm).
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Step 4
For small areas of 100 square feet or so (9 square meters), buy amendments by the bag, typically 1 to 1.5 cubic feet (.03 to .04 cubic m). A bag this size will cover 18 square feet (1.7 square meters) to a depth of 1 inch (2.5 cm). For larger areas, buy in bulk at a soil, garden or building supply center. You can have the supplier deliver bulk material, or pick it up yourself.








