Garden Soil Preparation

Good garden soil preparation is the key to building and growing a healthy herb garden (any garden for that matter).

Gardening soil not only gives your herbs the physical support they need, but it also stores the necessary nutrients your herbs need in order to flourish.

Soil needs a good number of soil organisms in order for your plants to flourish. Soil organisms help turn decomposing plant matter into humus. Humus helps protect your plants against some pests and diseases.

Proper garden soil preparation will help create a healthy, productive, and attractive herb garden that requires little attention to maintain.

Improving Your Soil

No matter what type of soil you start with, whether it is sandy and dry, or moist compacted clay, you need to increase the amount of organic matter it contains.

Some sources of organic matter include leaves, grass clippings, straw, compost, and manure to name a few.

Microorganisms, earthwoorms, and other beneficial soil animals feed on organic matter, breaking it down into nutrients your plants need.

Soils with high levels of organic matter are better for several reasons:

Adequate Aeration: Your plants roots need oxygen just as much as they need water. Microorganisms help this process by clumping small soil particles together into a crumb-like structure. The spaces between these crumb-like structures hold air, which is vital to your plants root system.

Because microorganisms feed on organic matter, by increasing it you can naturally boost the amount of oxygen in your soil.

A good way to tell if your soil has enough oxygen is to lift a handful, and if it feels light and fluffy chances are its good. If it feels hard and compact, you may need to add more organic matter.

Moisture-Holding Capacity: Soils that have a good crumb-like structure will hold more water than dense soils. Increasing humus levels by adding more organic matter helps the soil retain moisture for greater periods of time.

You may ask yourself - what value does this have? It means you can go longer between waterings which is good if you go without rain for extended periods of time.

Adding Organic Matter

Three great ways to add organic matter to your herb garden soil are:

• - Make sure to mulch with an organic material.
• - Apply compost as needed.
• - Grow a cover crop and turn it over.

Growing a thick cover crop and digging it into the soil as a "green manure," I think is one of the best garden soil preparation techniques for an herb garden. Cover crops will work for both new and pre-existing garden sites.

Fertility And PH Levels

Most herbs grow just fine in soils of average fertility. Some herbs such as nasturtiums actually prefer soils that most gardeners would consider poor.

If your starting out in an area where grass has grown well in the past, adding some compost each year should provide enough nutrients to keep your herbs healthy. However, if your potential garden site is in a worn-out location where nothing seems to grow (not even grass), you then need to get a soil test to determine what type of garden soil preparation is needed.

By analyzing the fertility and soil pH (the measure of acidity or alkalinity) before you plant your garden, you'll be able to prepare the soil to the liking of the herbs you intend to grow.

A good pH level for an herb garden is somewhere between 6.3 and 7.1 - slightly acid to just above neutral (7.0 is neutral).

How Much Fertilizer

Your soil test will tell you the levels of major and minor nutrients in your soil. How much fertilizer really depends on the herbs you intend to grow. Some herbs prefer a more fertile soil, while others prefer a lower fertile soil.

Most herbs will grow well in soils of average fertility. If the herbs don't specify a preference, then its safe to assume soil with an average fertility is okay.

If your test indicates your soil is in the average to moderate range, spread about a 1/2 inch layer of compost over your garden and mix it into the top 4 inches of the soil. If the test indicates the soil nutrients as being low, apply 1 to 2 inches of compost, mixing it into the soil to a depth of about 6 inches.

If your soil measures low in phosphates and potassium, you can apply a little rock powder and potassium.

Rock phosphate applied at 30 to 50 pounds per 1,000 square feet, will supply enough phosphorus for about 4 to 5 years. Potassium supplies are about the same when you apply 50 to 100 pounds of greensand per 1,000 square feet.

Good garden soil preparation is the key to having a successful herb garden. Adding compost, rock phosphate, and greensand at the start, and continuing with regular applications, will give your herb garden a great beginning and keep it healthy.