How To Prepare A Garden Soil Bed

 

~ Get to work, guys. Your garden is waiting.

Here is your ample opportunity to get out outside, roll up your sleeves and start working. And what is work, really if that is your passion anyway? Most likely last season’s growth needs cutting away, the lawn asks for fertilizer, and the planter boxes you have been meaning to build for a while now have a chance to be finally erected. Right?

But first things first: how is the soil doing in your backyard? Is it ready for you to planting? Now ask yourself, is it really ready? Does it need a bit of preparation first and a little TLC? To start your planting season on the right food,  let’s go with the latter. Here are a few steps to achieve high production results at the end of your harvest.  

Turn the Soil Over

No matter what kind of soil you have in your garden, you are facing the digging process for the future plants and seeds you are planning to grow. Digging the soil is essential for good plant growth. If you are someone who likes to dig out the garden and thoroughly prepare your upcoming beds, here is one way to do it: single dig method.  However, there is another school of thought that introduces this ancient French method called double digging. I truly find this video so helpful.  These double digging methods here, are especially beneficial for hardy soil types that rarely have been turned over before. (Video by GrowOrganic Peaceful Valley)

Get the Compost on it!

Composting is a pretty big part of taking care of your garden, and the outside world as a whole. When you can put your organic waste out to decompose into mushy super conditioning nutrients for later use, you get recycled conditioned compost that is free and healthy to use all over your garden beds. One of my followers suggested that she puts her ground veggie leftovers right under the fruit trees, without waiting for it to decompose. She claimed that it works perfectly for her harvest. I am intrigued by this since it saves so much effort and time, but not sure if such practice attracts rodents. My friend denied it, but I would still be cautious doing so, even if its easier.

Is Your Soil Nutritious Enough?

Not for you, of course, but for the seeds, you are planning to sow, would the extra nutrients be enough? Once you have dug and composted, you are going to need to get some mulch down there. This helps to keep moisture in the soil, making it perfect for planting. And you can get some pretty quality stuff from providers such as Edrich Lumber, if you are not a fan of making your own.

Make sure you know what type of mulch to spread out before you purchase any: bark is good for low digging areas, grass cuttings are better for getting rid of weeds. Whereas shredded leaves are extremely versatile and can be put down anywhere. When we resided in Maryland, Master Gardeners were cautioned about “leaf thieves”.  We were told that people are so obsessed with making mulch or compost out of leaves, that we should watch out and don’t get scared if we see strangers stilling our own backyard fallen leaves. Isn’t it crazy? I never saw anyone taking our backyard leaves, but instead people took our fallen trees to use them for logs. Oh well. No more of that in Florida 🙂

So what are your garden plans for this summer? I would love to hear about your upcoming projects.

Make it a very green and beautiful day, my dear friends.

Luda@PlantsandBeyond.com🌿

The images here do not belong to Luda @PlantsandBeyond.com,

©PlantsandBeyond.com 🌱