Garden Soil
Feed the soil, not the plants
Information about soils can be boring when you read textbooks but I’m just going to give you what you need to know to have great gardens and to answer a few questions about soil here so if you’re interested, you’ll have a reference point.
The links here will lead you to the meat of the matter.
Understand that all soils can be improved and almost all soils can be improved enough to grow better gardens than they are now. I note you may not like the answers you get here (some of them call for some serious work) but if you want a great garden, you have to start with a great soil.
Double digging garden soil. One of the primary techniques for great soil is an oft-abused term called “double digging”. This particular technique, if done properly, will give you garden soil like you don’t believe. When I started using it many years ago on my kitchen vegetable and herb garden, I could hardly believe the difference it made over the regular garden. I’m a fan of this system if not of actually doing all that digging.
Adding garden soil to gardens I get asked, “Should I add garden soil to my beds to improve the soil?”. If I had a nickel for every time I had this query over the years, I’d be taking a long holiday.
Got a Question about Garden Soil
If you have a question about garden soil, this is a good place to ask it.
Please understand that I get hundreds of questions every week from readers and I simply can't answer them all. I do my best and print quite a few in my free newsletter
Do give me as many details as possible.
What Other Visitors Have Asked About Garden Soil
Click below to see questions from other visitors to this page...
Reusing Container Soil Can I replant in soil I used last spring for growing vegetables?The containers are huge.Hubbie says they are 7ft. long and about 32 inches wide.They are ...
Raised bed soil drains TOO easily I'm in a community garden and the raised beds that I have are draining too quickly. What can I add to slow the rate down. They were apparently filled with ...
Clay Soil problems
In your email you mentioned how to improve clay soil. Can you tell me where do I find the answer, ebook or newsletter?
Doug says if you go to this ...
" gumbo soil " I am trying to make my soil nice and soft and workable but can't seem to get the right combination... last spring I put compost on,but evidentally too ...
What soil to use for a raised bed. I want to make a fairly large raised bed (berm?) with some mountain laurel shrubs in our yard. From what I understand, these plants like well drained, acidic ...
Worm castings helping with mildew I heard some where that if you make a tea out of your worm castings and spray them on your garden inculding pants that it helps with mildew and rusting ...
Lime
Doug: I live in the Pacific Northwest. Is it time to add lime to my garden and what should the ratio be, if so?
Doug says - have you done a soil test ...
no till
Doug,
What is your opinion regarding the no-till method of gardening? I'm more inclined to use this due to destruction of the microorganisms and worm ...
Tiny Balls of SOil THere are a couple of areas in our yard where the soil seems to creep up. It looks like tiny little balls of dirt. The grass doe snot seem to be affected ...
Rejuvenating Dead Soil We just moved, and put some annuals in to make the front yard look nice. One half of the flower bed is okay, the flowers are growing and blooming. The ...
Soil for growing new grass
What soil should I use when adding grass seed please?
Doug says, I'm not sure what or why you're adding grass seed to. If an existing lawn, you shouldn'...
