How to Prepare Soil for Vegetable Growing

Add compost to improve your garden's soil quality before planting.

Vegetable gardens are becoming popular as people learn to save money by growing their own produce. To have the success in growing vegetables, the garden's soil needs preparing before planting begins. Locating an area to put the garden is your first task. The garden should receive most of the day's sunlight and have the proper drainage so seedlings, or your vegetable plant's roots, do not rot from standing water.

Things You'll Need

• Tiller
• Rake
• Compost
• Fertilizer
• Lawn spreader

Instructions

1. Till the ground you have selected for the garden spot with a push tiller or a tiller that attaches to the back of a riding lawn mower. Continue tilling the ground till the soil is thoroughly worked up and no grass is visible.

2. Rake the tilled soil, removing dead roots and rocks that may hinder new seedlings when planted. After removing the debris from the soil, turn the rake over and use the other side to smooth the ground.

3. Spread organic compost or peat moss over the tilled soil. Spread three to four lbs. per 1000 square feet of garden soil. Rake the compost into the soil.

4. Spread a triple 10 or triple 12 fertilizer over the garden soil, using a lawn spreader or sprinkling by hand. Rake the fertilizer into the ground.

Tips & Warnings

• Add compost and fertilizer to the garden soil each year, as plants will use nutrients during growing season.

References

• The Garden Helper: Planning Your Garden
• Easy Vegetable Gardening: Soil Preparation

Resources

• Read this Article in Portuguese