Tips To improve soil quality

 


Early spring and late winter are the preferred times to start improving the soil quality. At this time the beds are relatively quiet and empty. Nutrient-rich soil is vital to healthy growth of the plants and can prevent a lot of the diseases and pests that impact the garden landscape. Green manures, fertilizers, or organic matter are perfect choices to improve the garden soil. Here are some of the most effective options:
Organic matter - Adding in organic matter at the start of each season is one of the most beneficial options. This is certain to help with aerating the soil, improving drainage, and increasing the desired nutrients. Organic materials consist of well-rotted animal manure (farm animals), leaf mold, and home-made garden compost. Organic matter is easily applied to the garden bed by laying 2 or 3 inches on the surface and this is dug in using a fork or similar tool. Alternatively, the thick structure of the organic matter can be left on the surface and used as a mulch material to help with conserving moisture and suppressing weeds. Overtime the material left on the surface will be broken down by the environment and earthworms.
Store bought fertilizers - A commercial bought fertilizer is perfect for the garden that needs to improve the fertility of the soil. But, these fertilizers are rarely able to help with improving the structure of the soil. Heavy clay or sandy soils usually have low-quality soil structure, which means the nutrients are easily lost through the soil or the root structure finds it difficult to fully benefit from them. A heavy organic material should be added to the sandy or clay soils to provide something that can hold the nutrients and moisture. Also, the thick structure of the organic matter is needed to break up the heavy clay particles, which should ensure digging and drainage is much more efficient.
Green manure - Green manure is the use of fast growing crops that are sowed in the beds to help improve the soil quality. This works best in garden beds that have been left empty for five or six weeks and the structure or fertility is starting to decline. Once this type of plant crop starts to breakdown, they are able to release nutrients into the soil to help the main crops in the future.
Whether the preferred material is organic or store-bought, the high-quality and nutrient rich soil is certain to make the plant beds strong and healthy, with the ability to grow more plants throughout the year.