Building Healthy Soil

Healthy soil is made up of various things – clay, silt and sand, air and water, and organic matter in various stages of decomposition. The more organic material in your soil, the more productive it will be.

One reason for difficult gardening is that many yards just don’t have good soil – it may lack nutrients, have heavy clay soil or be compacted. One solution is to add organic fertilizers and thoroughly till the soil before adding new plantings.

Another way to build healthy soil is by planting temporary cover crops. They’re an excellent way to naturally add organic matter and fertility to soil. During most of the year, these annual cover crops can be planted, and after their growing period tilled into the soil to decompose.

For success in growing a wider range of plants, build healthy soil first, plant second.