Growing vegetables
Vegetable garden soil
Grey gardens
Planting vegetables
Soil for vegetable garden
Planning a vegetable garden
Companion vegetable planting
Better homes and gardens magazine
Backyard vegetable garden
Better homes and gardens
Winter vegetable garden
Vegetable rotation
Fresh vegetables
Vegetable garden
Vegetable garden plants
Sitemap
How to Assess and Improve Soil For Vegetable Garden
On your journey to providing the best soil for vegetable garden, start with soil you have and assess its quality by walking around in it. See what it does to the bottom of your boots to get an idea of how thick and clay-like or porous and sandy it is. Then consider getting a chemical analysis of your soil to confirm and add to your ‘boot analysis’.
Topsoil
This is the most valuable and fertile part of your soil. It has been established over centuries from plant and animal decay. The most incredible nutrients available to plants are manufactured chemically and found in the topsoil. Treat this carefully and respectfully. If your vegetable garden is to be established soon after your home has been built, consider moving your topsoil from the garden area away from the construction site and returning it later. Never turn your garden soil to the depth of the subsoil and destroy the impact of the topsoil.
Clay Soil
This is difficult soil for vegetable garden. It is generally sticky and heavy when wet but it is filled with nutrients and can be made more workable by adding a little more well rotted manure and other organic material every season.
Sandy Soil
Easier to work with, its fertility washes away every time it rains. It needs to be fertilized heavily and regularly.
Soil pH
Test the pH of your garden soil annually just after harvesting your main crops. If your soil is not acidic enough, use peat or fresh animal manure on a regular basis. If it is too acidic add lime. Too little potassium can be rectified by using rock potash or other organic fertilizers.
The best organic-based soil for vegetable garden has a coarse, open texture that will hold some shape when you test it by forming a ball in your hand. Developing this kind of soil is nearly always the result of a gardener’s commitment, working from the base s/he inherits in the back garden, utilizing the good in this and then gradually and very persistently improving it until it reaches a healthy organic condition that will support the best yield of great tasting vegetables.
Leave a comment | View Comments
Vegetable Garden Videos
Loading...
|
Vegetable Garden NewsVegetable garden classes offeredThe Henderson County Cooperative Extension Service will offer these classes in the "Grow Your Own" Vegetable Garden Series Read more...Create your own vegetable gardenThe benefits and rewards of planting your own vegetable garden at your own home are enormous. MANILA, Philippines — There is no question that arable lands are shrinking as more cities in the Philippines continue to expand. Urban development has reduced the areas that were once reserved for agriculture and food production. This is a serious problem but it can be solved through the practice of ... Read more...Expand your vegetable garden with containersCherry Stuffer Pepper, a new sweet pepper with 2-inch fruits, perfect for growing in a pot. Seeds of this variety are available from The Cooks Garden. Read more...Start preparing your vegetable gardenBy Ed Schroeder Special to the Democrat -- The seed catalogs have arrived, and you probably have chosen or even ordered the vegetable seeds that you want to plant this spring. It might be a little early to plant your seeds directly in the garden, but it's not too early to prepare your vegetable garden plot. Read more...King’s Academy school launches fundraiser for vegetable gardenJohn Savage, 9th grader at The King’s Academy holds an “Earth Box” lettuce garden. Read more...Check Your Seed Packets: Garden Varieties Moving NorthThe gardening cycle has been thrown off the rails in Debbie Ricigliano's Howard County, Md., vegetable garden in past years. Shrubs are blooming earlier, cherry buds are opening in the fall and flower bulbs are emerging when they shouldn't. [More] Read more...Food pantry garden needs helpersThe Lehigh Acres Edible Gardening Exchange installed a vegetable garden last year at no cost to the pantry. Even though the group's involvement is complete, there is still an ongoing need for small things at the garden. Read more...Gardeners can find planners onlineQ. Is there a good computerized vegetable garden planner out on the Web? A. Read more...Unlock your creativity with keyhole gardenQ. I have heard of a new type of raised bed system called "keyhole" gardening? What is it? A. Read more...Carol Olson: Childhood memories from the vegetable gardenAmong our chores as children was to pick the garden vegetables as they ripened. To make it seem less like a job, we would do it together; that way, we could laugh, talk and giggle as we made our way through the rows picking the ripe green peas or string beans. Read more... |