Soil Conditioner

Soil works harder in an intensively planted garden, so it needs more attention. Your soil works the hardest in your garden, so why wouldn't you dedicate more time making sure it has everything it needs to help your plot thrive? Whether you're growing  spring flowers  like  zinnias  or edibles like  cherry tomatoes ,  raspberries ,  chives , and  tomatillos , take a few extra moments to make sure that your soil is in tip top shape, starting with the  10 Easy Soil Tests  and a little extra focus on these areas of concern.  Tilling Remove sod, weeds, rocks, and roots. Till in 6 inches of material from your  compost pile  or well-rotted mature for fertility and good soil structure. Get a soil test and amend the pH level, aiming for a neutral pH, if recommended. Related:  What To Do If Your Soil Is Too Alkaline Spring To-Do's Wait to work the soil until it is no longer soggy, then...

In A Nutshell Your best option is to add organic matter and grow plants that do well in alkaline soils. The Whole Story Technically, all soils with a pH higher than 7.0 are alkaline, or "sweet," but most garden plants tolerate a pH up to about 7.5. Alkaline soils are generally composed of basic (high pH) parent materials such as limestone (calcium carbonate). High-pH soils are more prevalent in arid climates, because rainfall does not leach the calcium and other basic materials out of the soil. Soil pH affects nutrient availability for plants, and in soils with a pH over 7.8, iron, zinc, and phosphorus deficiencies are common. Lowering soil pH is a slow and challenging process. "The truth is, lowering soil pH is hard, because the limestone in the soil continually dissolves," says Jessica Davis, Ph.D., a professor of soil science at Colorado State University. Davis recommends getting your soil tested to determine its pH, lime content, soil texture, and...

Nematodes While most of the thousands of species of nematodes on Earth are not harmful, some nematodes parasitize and cause diseases in humans and other animals as well as attack and feed on living plants. However, there are ways to deter these pesky pests from disrupting your garden—like planting  Marigolds To Protect Your Melons.   While most nematodes are beneficial, a few species of these translucent, unsegmented worms are plant parasites. Pest species are only about 1/50 inch long and cause root knots or galls, injured root tips, excessive root branching, leaf galls, lesions or dying tissue, and twisted, distorted leaves. Plants most commonly attacked at the roots include tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, lettuce, corn, and carrots. Plants that sustain leaf and stem injury include chrysanthemums, onions, rye, and alfalfa. What Are They? Often described as wormlike, nematodes are not closely related to true worms. They are multicellular animals with smoot...

For the five raised planting techniques, I used a mixture of 2 parts topsoil to 1 part compost. Through the course of the growing potato season, the benefits and drawbacks of each became clear. 1. Hilled Rows Dig straight, shallow trenches, 2 to 3 feet apart, in prepared soil. Plant seed potatoes 12 inches apart and cover with about 3 inches of soil. When the shoots reach 10 to 12 inches tall, use a hoe or shovel to scoop soil from between rows and mound it against the plants, burying the stems halfway. Repeat as needed through the growing season to keep the tubers covered. Pros:  No   containers   to buy or build; no   soil   to transport. This is a simple, inexpensive, and proven method that farmers have used for millennia. Practical for large-scale plantings. Cons:  Yield may be limited by the quality of the soil. In places where the soil is badly compacted or low in organic matter, one of the aboveground techniques might work better. 2....