Preparing Soil

Preparing soil for planting can be labor intensive and time consuming, but it is well worth the effort. Sowing seeds and doing transplants is much easier in earth that is malleable and fertile. If you are planning on planting in an area of your garden that hasn’t been cultivated in the recent past, or if the area was a lawn, you will want to ready the ground several weeks prior to planting so that the earth may settle.

 

There are a few simple to ensure success when preparing soil for planting-

• First, remove weeds and other unwanted plants by pulled them up by hand or digging them up with a spade. Remember to shake loose any earth that still clings to their roots.

 

• To remove a lawn from, use a shovel or spade to slice the earth into manageable sections, and then drive your tool underneath the grass to cut the roots.

 

• Earth that is too dry or too wet is not ideal for working. Therefore, on a day without rain, lightly moisten your intended work area before you loosen the soil.

 

• Next, dig about a foot into the earth to turn over the soil using a spade, shovel, or mechanical tiller depending on the size of your intended new garden plot. As you work, be sure to remove any stones that you find. Also, break apart tightly packed clumps of earth that present themselves.

 

• After working the soil, spread organic material about 3 inches deep onto your new gardening area. In addition, add fertilizer as recommended, as well as any amendments needed to alter the ground’s pH balance to achieve the ideal soil chemistry.

 

• Then, turn the newly added materials into the soil using a spade, shovel, or rototiller.

 

• Next, even out the ground with a rake before watering your intended planting space. 

• Let the area sit undisturbed for a minimum of three or four days before planting.

These simple steps will help make gardening simpler and much more pleasurable. They will also ensure healthier plants.

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