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7 Ways to Improve Your Soil

From A Sonoma Garden

Scott and Kendra Spencer are a husband and wife team who maintain a modest little third of an acre in Sonoma. With farmers as ancestors and a passion for edibles, they make the most out of what they have. They’ve read countless books, magazines, research documents and articles on organic gardening, but when it comes down to it they are experimenting and finding what works along with the rest of us. Read more at A Sonoma Garden.

We’ve been thinking a lot about dirt lately. Or, rather soil as we gardeners like to say. We’ve been learning about weeds and how you can tell a lot about your soil by what weeds grow in it.

It's led me to think about how as gardeners we are truly stewards of the soil. Any organic gardener knows that your plants are only as healthy as your soil, so it's important to take excellent care of it. The best way to ensure your soil's health is to add plenty of organic matter. Sure, we know that the three big soil nutrients are nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, but macro- and micronutrients are also critical because those are are what break down the organic matter to release the nutrients to your plants.

Here’s a list of things you can easily do to improve your soil's health.

1. For new garden beds, mix one inch of compost or 3 inches of grass clippings into the top 6 inches of soil.
2. Mulch around plants with 2 inches of grass clippings, coffee ground or compost which will slowly add nutrients to the soil and encourage earthworms and other soil organisms
3. Apply a spray of compost tea. Compost tea is low in nutrients but high in micronutrients
4. Plant a living mulch this summer such as oats or white dutch clover around your vegetables. Their roots will loosen compacted soil and concentrate nutrients for your vegetables to feed on.
5. Dry out eggshells and crumble them into the soil for a boost of calcium and micronutrients.
6. Start a compost pile, bin or vermiculture box.
7. Double dig your soil about 2 feet deep, blending in compost as you go. The benefits will last indefinitely. This will improve drainage, aeration, root growth, encourage earthworms and allow nutrients to be evenly spread through the root zone.

All these ideas are pretty easy things that you can do this weekend. I hope you try a few!