Grow Healthy Soil for Healthy Plants

This is the time of  year that all of us crazy gardeners and newbie gardeners are ready to get out and dig in the dirt. Before you plant, get to know your soil. To grow healthy plants, you need healthy soil.

There are three basic soil types – Clay, Sand and Loam.
Clay soil is generally heavy and is compact in nature. Plants have a harder time developing roots in clay soil. Clay soil tends to retain water, but this is not always desirable. A clay or heavy clay soil, will greatly benefit from the addition of organic material, and it’s almost impossible to add too much. Organic matter such as Cotton Burr, organic compost or leaf mold (broken down and black in color) mixed in with the clay, help to off-set its tendency towards compaction, improve drainage, and allow the nature of clay to help maintain moisture in your garden.

Sandy soils are the opposite of clay and generally drain too fast, and so are unable to hold onto any nutrients long enough for a plant to use them. Organic matter helps to hold onto water and nutrients, and as with clay, it’s almost impossible to add too much.

Loamy soil is a rich, dark and crumbly soil that will allow drainage, but still retain enough moisture to be beneficial. Loam is a good balance of sand, clay, silt and organic matter. If you grab a handful of loamy soil, it should not form a compact ball. It should remain loose and crumbly. Loam is the best type of soil for growing almost everything!

To start off with, test soil for nutrients, pH and organic matter with a good soil tester like Earthco Basic Soil Test. Other options include Missouri University Extension service. and the Missouri Botanical Gardens. While all plants need good soil, this is especially important for vegetable beds.

When soil is workable and not overly wet, lightly dig over the surface of your existing beds. Apply a slow-release organic fertilizer and fork in some good organic matter like leaf mold or a cotton burr compost and worm castings. Worm castings improve the physical structure of soil by enriching the soil in beneficial microbes that help fight disease-causing organisms and add beneficial enzymes. This helps to improve plant structure.

When adding organic matter to planting beds or gardens, add at least 2 inches on top of the bed and work in evenly to a depth of 4 to 6 inches.

By simply improving your soil, you can beautify your garden and even reduce your work! Growing healthy soil is easy. Creating good healthy soil is the single most important thing you can do for your garden. Good healthy soil helps to assure good healthy plants.