How To Improve Garden Soil

by Valerie Palmer

Whether you're using chemical fertilizers or organic gardening methods, it is important to add organic matter to your soil every year. Soil that is healthy is alive, literally teeming with millions of tiny organisms that have all got specific functions in making fertile soil. If you want your garden to continue to produce, you need to feed it plenty of organic material. Earthworms and microbes (the life in soil) eat and decompose the organic material, which leads to a release of nutrients and minerals in a form that is useable for plants. Beyond this beneficial fertilizing, the presence of the organic waste improves any soil texture: sandy, loose soil is bound; hard clay soil is loosened. The humus provides a spongy quality that allows the soil to retain moisture and circulate air so roots can breathe. For these natural processes to occur, the soil life needs fresh supplies of food. Without this fuel, earthworms go away and the minerals and nutrients get 'locked' in soil particles, not available for plant growth. Insect pests and diseases take over the weakened plants. Pouring on the chemical fertilizers won't help because they don't contribute to soil texture and flourishing soil life. This is a simplification of a very complex natural process of soil chemistry that justifies in-depth study in its own. But the intention here is to give a basic idea of the absolute necessity of a generous annual addition of organic matter to all continuously used garden soil. Now, here are some suggestions about how to feed the soil. Haul in compost, buying it in packaged form or by the yard from nurseries. Processors in your area (cider mills, canneries, etc.) often have organic material for the taking. Farms nearby might welcome removal of animal manures: horse, cattle, chicken, rabbit are all good. Of course, chop garden residues and weeds into the soil after the crop is finished. Also chop in the hay or straw that was used as mulch. Gather leaves and lawn clippings and dig them in. The fastest and easiest way to turn almost any bit of soil into superior loam is to use cover-crops, also known as green manures, and till them in. Over time, this practice will add to the topsoil rather than taking it away with harvested crops. This is especially necessary for the gardener who is growing food in the long-term on the same patch of ground. Some notes: 1) Green manures can be grown in rotation: follow an early cover-crop with a late season planting of produce, or a plant a late green manure following an early vegetable crop like peas and lettuce). That way even small gardens can have a harvest crop and a cover-crop each year. 2) Using green manures can be done by any gardener with or without powered equipment. However, a roto-tiller is the easiest method. If necessary, you can rent one. Here are some suggestions for home garden cover-crops. A) Use legumes such as soybeans, peas, vetch, and alfalfa. They will 'fix' nitrogen from the atmosphere when you use 'inoculated' seeds that are attractive to a certain kind of microbe. Also, some legumes are vegetables, providing both a food and a green manure with the same crop. B) Plant ryegrass for a bulky, hardy crop that grows quickly. An annual variety is best, so that a late-summer crop will die back during winter allowing easy tillage in spring. C) For extremely poor soil, buckwheat is recommended. It will grow quickly and choke out weeds as well. Sow buckwheat for a main summer crop, after harvesting lettuce, etc. The benefits to the soil of using cover-crops can't be overstated. In addition, there are other advantages: they help control weeds, they attract bees, and the carpet of green makes the garden look good right up to snowfall. Valerie Palmer writes on topics related to gardening. Her articles are published in href="http://tlcgardening.com">TLC Gardening News , the single on-line resource for a world of news about gardening. Be sure to refer to all Valerie's articles at http://www.tlcgardening.com/