Gardening Series: Dig in the Dirt! Soil Preparation: How Do You Prepare Garden Soil for Planting?
- Shidonna Raven
- 2 hours ago
- 2 min read
March 14, 2025
Source: Almanac
Photo Source: Unsplash,
• 4:06
Shidonna Raven Garden & Cook - Garden Club
Tips for Improving Your Garden's Soil Quality
If your plants don’t thrive, the answer is often in the soil. Healthy garden soil makes healthy plants that are less vulnerable to pests.
The good news? You can improve your soil! Here is a 3-step quick fix to healthy soil and a guide on soil health for those who wish to “dig deeper.”
Three Easy Steps for Soil Preparation
The last thing we want to do is overwhelm the beginner gardener! If you do nothing else, here are three basic steps you can do before planting.
Clear out rocks and debris: To dig up grass, use a spade to cut the sod into small squares and pry from the planting area with the end of the spade.
Loosen the soil: If it’s your very first garden, loosen the soil to a depth of at least 8 inches (12 is better) so that roots can reach down.
Add Organic Matter: Compost and aged manure not only feed the soil with nutrients but also drain well, loosen the soil to create more oxygen for plants, and stabilize and anchor plant roots. Spread at least 2 to 3 inches of compost or aged manure onto your soil (no more than 4 inches).If it’s your first garden and you need better soil, we recommend working in the compost. If your garden is established, we recommend a no-dig approach and leaving the compost on the surface. This exposes fewer weed seeds and does not disturb the soil structure. Let the worms do the digging in for you!
Level the garden bed: With a steel garden, rake or hoe the surface so it’s level.
A tip: If you live in a colder region, consider a raised garden bed to help wet, cold soils dry out and warm up more quickly. Also, cover your beds before planting with black plastic to cardboard to block light and protect them from snow, rain, and erosion. Read more about warming up the spring soil.
A tip: If you have a very weedy garden and are just getting started, cover the soil in late winter with clear plastic (“solarization”). Once the weed seedlings are up, pull them out or remove them with a hoe. Don’t dig up the soil, which will bring new weed seeds to the surface—the idea is to remove those already at the top. Once you build a rich, dark, fertile soil foundation, gardening will be “easier” the rest of the year and going forward!
How can you introduce more (organic or natural) fresh vegetables and fruits into your diet? How could this impact the environment? How could a home garden contribute to your and your family's over all health?
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