Soil Prep for a Beginner Gardener

If you're a beginner gardener looking to start a flower garden, soil preparation should be one of your top priorities! The soil is the foundation of your garden, and it plays a crucial role in the success of your plants. Proper soil preparation can help plants grow healthy and strong while benefiting the environment if you pursue it with a regenerative approach.

First things first: test your soil

Before starting any gardening project, you must test your soil to determine its nutrient content and pH level. You can obtain a soil testing kit from a garden center or take a soil sample from your field, greenhouse, or raised bed (wherever you're gardening) and send it to a laboratory for analysis. This will help you understand what to do to improve the soil quality. The cost of a soil test can vary widely based on your location. A basic soil test can range from $20 to $100 (here are some examples of soil health analysis packages offered by Cornell). However, more comprehensive tests that include analysis for micronutrients, heavy metals, or other specific contaminants can cost more. It's best to contact local labs directly for accurate pricing information in your region. Additionally, ask for recommendations on which amendments to apply to your soil to get it into the best possible condition.

Note: If you live outside the Northeast US: To find out where to submit a soil sample for testing in your state, contact your local Cooperative Extension, Soil and Water Conservation District, or NRCS office. Additionally, UMass Amherst has a Soil and Plant Nutrient Testing Laboratory.

The benefits of organic matter and fertilizers

So, once you know the condition of your soil, you can start to improve it. One essential step is to add organic matter, such as compost or aged manure (my flower production course instructor has told me from Cornell that aged chicken manure is the best type of manure - check out this article by the University of Nevada, Reno, covering this topic). These amendments will help improve the texture of the soil, making it easier for roots to grow and absorb nutrients. It will also increase the soil's ability to retain water, essential for healthy plant growth.

I should also note that bone meal or fish emulsions are helpful fertilizers to add nutrients to your soil. These fertilizers provide slow-release nutrients that will feed your plants over time, benefiting their growth.

Regenerative practices

Finally, practicing responsible gardening techniques that promote a regenerative approach is essential. This includes using natural pest control methods, reducing water usage, and avoiding synthetic fertilizers and pesticides. Here are some important regenerative practices to consider:

• Minimize Soil Disturbance: Traditional tilling can disrupt soil structure, harm beneficial microorganisms, and lead to erosion. Instead, use no-till or minimum tillage methods to maintain soil integrity.

• Cover Cropping: Plant cover crops like clover, vetch, or rye in the off-season. These plants can prevent erosion, suppress weeds, and fix nitrogen in the soil, reducing the need for chemical fertilizers.

• Crop Rotation: Rotate crops each season to prevent soil nutrient depletion and disrupt the cycles of pests and diseases.

• Composting: Add compost to enrich the soil with organic matter, which improves soil structure and water retention and provides a slow-release source of nutrients.

• Mulching: Apply organic mulches such as straw, wood chips, or leaves to conserve moisture, regulate soil temperature, suppress weeds, and gradually add organic matter as they decompose.

• Encourage Biodiversity: Plant a diversity of species to create a balanced ecosystem. This can attract beneficial insects and pollinators, aiding pest control and improving plant health.

• Water Management: Implement rainwater harvesting and drip irrigation to reduce water waste and ensure deep watering that encourages strong root growth.

• Avoid Chemicals: Refrain from using synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides that can harm soil life and contribute to pollution.

By implementing these practices, you'll create a healthy, sustainable garden that produces abundant crops and contributes to the environment's overall health. Remember, regenerative gardening is a process, and the soil will improve over time as you continue to work with these principles.

Don't make the same mistakes as us!

Gardening can sometimes come with its fair share of challenges, so it's only fair we share our challenges with you so that you can hopefully avoid them!

We currently have three raised garden beds that my partner and I built using galvanized steel that we found on Facebook Marketplace that was previously used as a rooftop for an old barn in rural Ohio. We also used a smaller bed in the front of our home that we purchased from Amazon. After securing the raised garden bed materials, we contacted a local landscape material company that sold topsoil, compost, and mulch to help us fill the garden beds.

When we began to fill our garden beds, we first laid a landscape fabric at the bottom. On top of that, we added a layer of branches and woody materials, followed by dead leaves and grass clippings, and our own compost made from vegetable scraps. We also added some high-quality compost and cow manure that we bought from a local garden center. Lastly, we added topsoil purchased from a landscape materials company to finish the beds. See the video below for a step-by-step overview of how we prepped our garden beds.

Link to the original video.

Now - how did my soil do? Awful! We never tested the soil we purchased from the landscape material company, but it was easy to identify that the soil was clay soil, meaning it was old, tightly packed soil that formed and condensed over a long period of time. Clay soil is considered one of the most challenging soils to work with. The soil can take longer to warm up in the spring and is easily damaged when dug up. It can also become waterlogged and stay too wet for too long during the rainy season, causing fungi to grow!

However, after we grew more plants, their roots broke up the compacted soil and enhanced it. We also added some useful amendments, such as a high-quality organic fertilizer and compost, pine bark, and we also utilized a cover crop of winter rye (we love Johnny's winter rye) in the Fall to provide nutrients and further break up the compacted soil. Cover crops like clover can also help improve soil health by adding nitrogen and other nutrients while preventing soil erosion and suppressing weeds!

As farmer Jesse Frost states in his book, The Living Soil Handbook:

Disturb the soil as little as possible.

Keep the soil covered as much as possible.

Keep the soil planted as much as possible.

By following these tips, you can prepare your soil for a successful flower garden that is both beautiful and environmentally responsible. So get digging and enjoy the rewards of a flourishing garden, and don't forget to share your tips and tricks in the comments section for maintaining healthy soil and preparing it each season!!