Spring Soil Preparation

With spring comes thoughts of beautiful flowers and an abundance of vegetables.  When we have these lovelies in mind it is easy to forget how important early spring soil preparation is.  Till the soil as soon as it can be worked.  This can be easily done with a shoved and a rake or fork, which is what I almost always use.  If you have a large area though I would suggest using a rototiller. 

Spring soil preparation begins by knowing what your soil lacks. Determining how your soil handles water.  Does your soil drain well and dry out very fast, or does it hold too much water, or it seem just right.  There are numerous wonderful organic products that can be used to supplement your soil to assist in proper water content.

For soil that dries out too fast the first thing to add is peat moss.  Peat moss will quickly and effectively correct dry soil conditions.  Because there are extreme variations in soil start by adding two inches inches of peat moss to the surface of your soil and then till it in.  Unless you need dry soil for plants loving dry conditions, peat is a very good choice.  

In addition to peat adding compost to mix is often a mix for seriously microbe rich soil that many garden vegetables will love.  Compost is the ultimate pro-biotic of the plant world.   The compost should be  1/3 of an inch thick on the soil surface before tilling it in, this is a very thin layer and more is not better.  

If your soil is primarily clay based, a simple solution to improve soil drainage is to incorporate sand at a rate of 50% sand to 50% clay type soil, this allows for proper drainage.  

Yard leaves are a good source of a slow release nitrogen.  They release nitrogen as they decompose and are a good addition to soils.  

Manure is also an option for adding nitrogen, but it is extremely important that the manure is well composted, and never fresh.  There are several dangers involved with adding fresh manure, one is the risk of contaminating your food with ecoli, and that it may "burn" your plants.   I do not use manure on my gardens, but manure can be a successful choice if you are certain the manure comes from a reliable source and well composted.  

Once you have determined which additives you would like to use spread them as directed and till them into the soil, and water it well.  Now that your spring soil preparation is done it is time to plant and fertilize.  

Happy Gardening
The Bear Foot Shaman 
www.TheBearFootShaman.com