How to Prepare Your Garden Soil

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By Maja Ledgerwood
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Prepare your garden soil in March for good yields later.

Preparing your garden soil for planting is key to the success of your garden. Preparing your garden soil a month or two before actually planting helps the soil to "mature" for better garden yields.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

Weed killer (Traditional herbicide or organic)
Compost
Shovel or rototiller
Hoe or plow

Step 1

Killing weeds is essential to a healthy garden.

After you have chosen your garden spot, you must first kill all of the weeds in your soil. Weeds are toxic to a garden because they take essential nutrients from your vegetables and plants as well as impede healthy root growth. You may use a traditional herbicide like Round Up or you can go to your local nursery or seed store and look at organic options. Of course you will be continuing to rid your garden of weeds all season long (unfortunately), but starting with a good weed killer will help reduce the amount of weeds you will have later.
Step 2

Remove all of the dead weeds.

Wait seven days (or the recommended amount of time on your herbicide) to do anything in the soil. This will ensure that the weeds are completely killed and the herbicide will not kill any of the plants or seeds that you now plant in your garden. After the seven days, pull the dead weeds gently out. Try to resist shaking them, this may spread their seeds to start new weeds. Dispose of the weeds in the garbage or burn them. Never leave them laying beside your garden to, again, spread their seeds.
Step 3

Add compost to your soil

After the weeds are completely removed, place compost on your soil. You can use packaged compost, compost you have made or composted manure. I like composted manure (which is composted and not fresh) because it adds lots of nitrates into the soil which helps my vegetables grow bigger.
Step 4

Turn your compost.

Turn the compost over with a shovel or you may rototill it in. This ensures that the compost gets into the soil, not just lays on top.
Step 5

Now you can prepare to plant.

If there is time, leave the soil alone for a week or two, checking for any new weeds that might "pop up" and pulling them immediately. Now it is time to make the rows or set up the ground for planting. It's up to you and the space you have available whether you want upraised beds, rows, or rounds to plant in. A little investigation and preplaning could be beneficial.