How to Turn Poor Soil into Great Growing Soil

For the most part soil in it's nateral state is not in perfect condition for growing a vegetable garden. It could be sandy or mostly clay, or may other options, but most of the time one thing can be sure- it is lacking in organic matter. The best way to improve your soil is to add organic matter, a lot of it, and often. We try to add organic matter to our soil about twice a year. Fall when we put the garden to bed, we turn in ground up leaves- then in the spring I like to add some sort of manure- like Turkey or steer. But the more decomposed the better for immediate use for the plants. Then we also add a mulch to the top of the soil after the garden is in, and the soil is warmed up. That gets turned in with the fall leaves.
If you just starting your garden- then you might need even more organic matter than you would add annually, but after you initially mix your soil for the first time, you should just keep adding to it every year, and if you keep at it, you will have very fertile soil before long.

If you add compost or leaves or anything that still needs to break down, you should add some nitrogen to it to help that process, otherwise it will steal those nutrients from the plants or soil to help it break down. If you plan on having an organic garden, then there are plenty of organic options, just visit your local garden center for help on choosing an organic fertilizer.
Although adding organic matter to your soil every year, will make a big difference to your garden, you will still need to feed your plants fertilizer. Like I mentioned earlier, there are some great options on organic fertilizer (which is best for vegetable gardens).  Here is an idea for an easy way to fertilize your plants:
When planting, dig a big hole for an old milk jug with holes in the bottom and one side and bury it so that the top is still exposed. Then plant the plant next to it. Then when you water or fertilize, you have an easy way for the fertilizer to get down to the roots right where you want them to be.
I will also for most of my vegetables that like to be fertilized, as I am planting them, add a handful of fertilizer a little bit deeper and slightly off to the side of the plant, so that as the roots get established, they will reach this supply and have a boost in a critical time of their growth.
You might also want to consider your soil's pH. A pH of 7 is neutral and over 7 is alkaline and under 7 is acidic. There are many plants that prefer acidic soil such as blueberries. So when planting a garden for the first time, check to see what your soil balance is and plant accordingly. The soil in my area is alkaline and so I choose not to grow blueberries, as it is too much work to supplement them with enough acidic matter to produce a good crop. You can get your soil tested by a local agricultural university for around $15. Or you can ask an expert gardener at a local garden center what is the normal for the area.
Visit our website for vegetable guides and a garden planner that will help you grow a successful garden. Now let's pull out those gloves and get to work!
Happy Gardening!

What is Mulch?

So what is mulch, and why do I need to use it in my garden?
Mulch is usually organic matter that you add to the top of your garden soil around your plants. Mulch helps to keep moisture from evaporating too quickly from the soil, and it also helps to control the temperature of the soil. Have you ever pushed some rock chips or leaves out of the way and felt the soil temperature of the soil in that spot? It is usually cooler and more moist than a spot that has nothing to cover it.
When you use organic matter as mulch it also breaks down over time, and adds nutrients to your garden soil. It is a great way to add to your soil every year. Top every year with a thick layer of organic matter when the temperatures warm up a bit and after you have all of your plants planted.
We add it not only to our vegetable garden every year, but also to our perennial flower beds.
Some additional benefit to adding mulch is that it makes the garden look nice and weed seeds have a harder time germinating though the mulch so it reduces weeds.

So what can you use as a mulch?

A few things that are used as mulch:

• Leaves- if they are used, they are best chopped up. this can be done with a lawn mower and collected in the catch bag, or with a leaf chopper. For leaves to properly break down, they would need extra nitrogen applied to them. I use leaves in the fall to add organic content to my beds. I also have a barrel of leaves so that they can break down into leaf mold. the leaf mold is then an EXCELLENT mulch for the garden. But it takes a few years to break down enough to use. Check out my blog post about it for more information.
• Grass clippings can be used as a mulch, but you need to be careful as they are usually sprayed with things that would be harmful to garden plants. It also tends to mat together, and actually impedes the moisture from getting through to the soil. It also needs a lot of nitrogen to break down. I personally do not use this option as it causes more problems than I want to deal with to make it worth it.
• Straw can be used as mulch, but it also has some of the same problems as grass clippings and can contain weed seeds. I do not use that option either.
• Wood chips can be a great option, but I would advise to use really small pieces. It is even better if the wood chips are mixed with some compost. This is what I usually use and add some each year.
• Some people also use newspaper and cardboard as a mulch, but they tend to get picked up with the wind. So wetting them down helps to add weight to it. You would just have to cut holes in it to plant your plants.
• Compost is the best option in my opinion as it is already broken down for the most part and has excellent properties. You can make your own or purchase some for your garden.

• Another option is plastic sheeting and cutting holes for the plants to grow through, or small pieces of rubber like cut up tires. I personally do not like this option because it doesn't do anything for the soil other than keep the moisture, raises the temperature of the soil and keeps weeds at bay. This is what many big farms use to grow massive amounts of vegetables, but then it creates plastic waste that can be harmful to our environment.

Choose wisely. In the long run, adding an organic mulch to your garden dose wonders for the soil and atmosphere of your garden. So, Happy Gardening!