How to Build Good Soil

Building healthy soil increases your chances of gardening success.

Healthy soil provides water and nutrients to plants and encourages healthy plant growth. Allow plenty of time to prepare your soil for planting. As noted by the Cornell University Department of Horticulture, if you want to plant a vegetable or flower garden, begin to prepare your soil the fall before, if not sooner. For optimal plant health, maintain your soil even after plantings are established, with good watering and fertilization practices.

Difficulty:

Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Garden trowel
• Bucket
• Organic matter
• Shovel
• Water
• Ruler

1. Obtain a soil test from your local university extension. A laboratory analysis will tell you the exact nutrient and pH levels of your soil and provide recommendations for soil amendments. To get a soil test, you must bring in soil samples from your garden. Use a garden trowel to collect samples from about 12 areas of your garden or lawn. The samples should include the top 6 inches of the soil, except for lawn samples, which should include the top 2 to 3 inches. Mix all 12 samples together and bring about two cups in to your university extension office for analysis.

2. Incorporate organic matter into your soil. Examples of organic matter include peat moss, manure and compost. Organic matter improves virtually any soil structure. It increases core space in heavy, dense soil and fills in gaps in sandy soil that may be prone to drought. Organic matter also increases populations of beneficial soil microbes that encourage plant growth and fight off pests and diseases.

3. Adjust the soil's pH if the analysis reveals it's necessary. Your soil test should provide detailed instructions specific to your soil's needs. Generally, lime products such as ground limestone are used to raise the pH in very acidic soils, while sulfur products such as elemental sulfur are used to decrease soil pH.

4. Test your soil's drainage. Dig a hole with your shovel about 1 foot deep and fill it with water. Allow the water to drain, then fill it again. Measure how deep that water is with a ruler. Wait 15 minutes, then measure again to see how much the water has drained. Multiply this number by four to calculate the hourly drainage. If the results are less than 1 inch per hour, your soil is still too heavy. If the results are more than 6 inches per hour, your soil drains too fast. Incorporate more organic matter to adjust the drainage.

5. Apply fertilizer as recommended by your soil analysis. Be careful not to over-fertilize, since this can cause damage to soil and plants. The King County Solid Waste Division recommends using organic fertilizers whenever possible, since they release their nutrients slowly and reduce runoff into local water sources.

Tips & Warnings

• If incorporating organic matter doesn't improve soil drainage significantly, consider choosing plants that thrive in heavy or sandy soils.

• Exercise caution with fertilizers and any other soil amendments.

References

• Cornell University Department of Horticulture; Soil Basics; 2008
• Michigan State University Extension: Building Healthy Soil to Grow Healthy Plants
• Clemson Cooperative Extension; Soil Testing; Marjan Kluepful; 2006
• Colorado State University Extension; Soil pH; David Whiting et al.; 2009
• King County Solid Waste Division: Fertilizer