How to Put Together a Healthy Soil Mixture for Your Garden

Flowering and fruiting plants need rich, crumbly soil.

A vegetable or flower garden in full bloom is a sight to see, with riotous greenery and bright blooms, fruits and vegetables. Experienced gardeners know, though, that the blooms, fruit and growth require planning and preparation. The first step to successful gardens is a deep, rich and loose foundation for drainage and nutrition. Use organic amendments, fertilizer and old-fashioned hard work to prepare that foundation, then enjoy the fruits of your labor in flowers and harvest.

Things You'll Need

• Organic compost
• Soil amendments
• Garden fork
• Fertilizer

Instructions

1. Amend soil months before planting time or at planting, with good success. Till the soil two to three months before planting time if you can, to let it settle, then remix and fertilize again at planting.

2. Dig into the top 12 to 14 inches of soil. Break up soil clumps, remove rocks and wood, pull weeds and even out high and low spots. Even surfaces encourage better site drainage, while mixing and aerating the soil promotes healthier root growth. This step is especially important for root crops like carrots and potatoes, and bulb plants like tulips and lilies.

3. Lay 3 to 7 inches of organic compost and leaf mold, rotted manure, mulch, wood chips or peat moss on the site. Use a garden fork to turn these amendments into the natural soil for long-term nutrition, drainage and moisture retention. Aim for a mix of 50 percent natural soil and 50 percent amendment to 75 percent natural soil and 25 percent amendment. Add amendments until your soil becomes dark and crumbly.

4. Broadcast balanced granular 13-13-13 fertilizer over the site at a rate of 1 lb. per 100 square feet of space. This fertilizer increases nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium content for better all-around soil nutrition. Turn the fertilizer into the top 4 to 6 inches of soil, then water the site for 20 minutes to settle the soil and fertilizer.

Tips & Warnings

• Use starter fertilizer like 6-24-24 at planting. High phosphorous and potassium content encourages quick rooting in new plants.

• Soil nutrition depletes over time and with use. Re-amend soil with each new planting, and every spring thereafter with established beds, to keep plants healthy and growing.

• Use organic mulch around plantings to maintain soil quality, and to keep the soil moist and warm for the plants. As mulch breaks down, it adds more nutrition to the soil under it. Add more mulch every two to three months to maintain this layer.

References

• Oregon State University Extension Service: Growing Your Own Vegetable -- Soil Improvement
• University of Illinois Extension; Illinois Vegetable Garden Guide: Step 5 -- Prepare and Care for Soil Properly; J.S. Vandemark, et al.
• Colorado State University Extension; Choosing a Soil Amendment; J.G. Davis, et al.; May 2005