FALL SOIL PREP For A Stunning Summer Garden

You’ve weeded the garden and pulled out all the summer annuals in preparation for fall, but what now? Starting to prepare your garden in the fall will ensure soil that is rich in nutrients and ready to create a beautiful summer garden. Amending your soil will create the perfect foundation to help you grow lush crops and plants every season! Gardens that are rich in organic material simply result in an outstanding garden. Here are a few steps you can take to help you create the garden of your dreams - full of big, bold, beautiful flowers and tasty vegetables!

Creating Healthy Soil

Starting with quality soil is the key to a healthy, flourishing garden. Creating the perfect soil takes a little bit of work but it can be done! First, you will want to make sure your soil is the right pH. Here is a great tool for measuring the moisture and pH of your soil. A neutral pH is the best for growing plants and vegetables. Once you have established your pH you can work on making it optimal for growing. Just remember each season you’ll need to replenish nutrients in your soil. As plants grow, they break down and use the organic matter from the soil.

Compost

Now you know what nutrients your soil is missing you can start to fix it! It is important to remember to feed the microbes in your soil by adding compost. Compost is something you can create yourself, if you want to know more about how to compost then check out our previous blog on compost, or you can pick up a bag at your local garden center. Feeding your soil with all of the nutrients from compost is a great start to a healthy garden. While mixing in your compost you are also helping to loosen compacted soil. Roots can have a difficult time growing If the ground is compacted. Ideally, you want your soil to be a crumbly and aerated texture.

Mulch

Now that you have a healthy soil you will want to protect it until you are ready to plant all of the wonderful veggies you are planning on growing! The best way to provide insulation for your soil is to add a generous layer of mulch. Mulch helps to keep in the much needed moisture, keeps the weeds out, and helps to make sure that the soil doesn’t become compacted.

Water

Something many of us don’t think about is keeping our soil watered even when there are no plants. Keeping soil hydrated even between plantings helps to encourage beneficial microbes, which you will want later in the season.