Soil Tips for Your Garden

Soil is the foundation of a healthy and thriving garden, providing vital nutrients and support for plants. Check out our tips to ensure your soil is helping the plants in your garden flourish.

1. Test your soil to determine its pH level before adding new plants and amend accordingly. Some plants are resilient to various soil pH levels, however many require or have a strong preference for specific acidic or alkaline soils.
2. Improve soil structure by adding compost or other organic matter to help retain moisture and nutrients. Many plants require well-draining soil, which can be especially helpful for new plants trying to take root. Our Starter Soil Kits are perfect for young plants and plants that require well-draining soil. One soil kit is the right size for a #1 (1 gallon) plant.
3. Water your plants deeply and regularly as appropriate for your pant types, but avoid over-watering, which can lead to root rot. If you do not have well-draining soil, root rot is much more of a concern.
4. Add mulch to the surface of the soil to conserve moisture and suppress weeds. A nice fir bark (which is what we use in our soil kits) is excellent for amending soil to drain better.
5. Use raised beds to improve drainage and control the quality of the soil in a specific area. For new plants, especially those that require well-draining soil, we strongly recommend customers watch our short how-to plant tutorial video.
6. Consider using cover crops, bark, compost, or green manures to help build soil fertility and structure.
7. Avoid walking on garden beds as much as possible to prevent compacting the soil.
8. Practice companion planting, planting compatible plants together that can benefit each other, such as nitrogen-fixing plants for heavy feeders.
9. Use natural pest control methods, such as companion planting, releasing beneficial insects, and hand-picking pests, instead of chemical pesticides.