DIY Garden Soil
- 1
Nutrient-rich soil produces larger crop yield.vegetable image by Allyson Ricketts from Fotolia.com
Test your garden soil. Take 1-cup samples every 12 to 18 feet in a checkerboard pattern across the garden. Take samples to your local county extension agent. Request a composition, nutrient and pH evaluation. A trained horticulturist, who is familiar with local soils and native plants, can offer valued recommendations for improving your soil. - 2). Start a compost pile. Dried leaves, untreated aged sawdust or wood chips, straw and kitchen waste will decompose to create nutrient-rich organic compost. Keep the compost pile wet and turn it over every two weeks to accelerate the decomposition process.
- 3). Save newspapers and cardboard. Made of organic cellulose, paper adds fiber and water-retention qualities to the soil. Shred paper products to add to the compost pile. Many businesses have commercial paper shredders and are happy to donate their shredded paper to assist in your environmentally friendly recycling efforts.
- 4). Cultivate garden soil to a depth of 12 to 18 inches. Using a garden tractor or cultivator, turn over the ground several times in both a horizontal and a vertical direction. Remove rocks, roots and weeds, then cultivate again. Plants cannot grow well in tightly compacted soil. Work the soil until it is loose and crumbly.
- 5). Improve garden soil with ashes. Ashes or charcoal, produced by burning organic materials such as wood, replenish potassium salts in soil, thus raising pH levels.
- 6). Add lime if the soil is test indicates a low pH. Vegetables grow best in a pH level of 6.5 to 7.0. Broadcast 1 lb. of lime for each 100 square feet of garden space. Cultivate into the soil. Water well.
- 7). Improve soil texture and moisture-retention qualities by covering the garden with a 1-inch layer of coarse landscape sand. Do not use sand from the beach. It will contain salts that are harmful to growing plants. Cultivate the sand into the soil.
