Today may be the first day of spring, but it’s not planting time for most of you yet. Before you get tempted by all the glorious plants being trucked in to your local nurseries and Big Box stores (usually from southern CA and other southerly climes), have you thought about the dirt in your garden lately? Most likely not. Especially if your ground is still covered by snow or is soggy. However, whenever early spring arrives in your neck of the woods, and before you spend a dime on a new plant, you really need to spend money on some good dirt. It will take care of your plants and make your gardening life ever so much easier.
Sometimes pitiful gardeners get caught up in the notion that the basis of gardening is just plopping the plant into the dirt and it grows, right? Sometimes yes, sometimes no. Most of the no is caused by the fact that the poor plant doesn’t have anything to live on. Good garden soil provides all those yummy nutrients. Plus, having nice loose soil makes it so much easier for roots to spread out and take hold of those nutrients. Weeds will always manage/thrive in less than ideal circumstances, but not the hothouse delicacies you’ll probably select.
Once your soil has thawed or dried out, dig down about a foot. Break it up, turn it over. Take off any old mulch you used for the winter. When you work in any kind of fertilizer, compost, or peat moss, you’ll provide for your plants long into the growing season. Some gardeners have access to fresh manure; don’t use it as it will damage your plants. You can use it if it’s old and rotted, or bagged from the store. Potting soil is perfectly balanced, but mighty expensive to use in the garden. You can buy bags of “garden soil” and mix that into your garden. Any of these amendments will make a big difference.
Soil types vary widely depending on the region you live in. At the extremes are clay on one end and sand on the other. You’re trying to fix whatever you’ve got to end up in the middle. Clay is really heavy, wet, and your hands can feel slimy or muddy. Water pools in it, doesn’t drain away, and drowns your plants. Sand is impossible. It slides off your shovel. If it runs through your fingers, then water drains through it in the same way and your plants are constantly thirsty. Good growing dirt doesn’t clump together, but at the same time holds moisture. Thriving plants will be your reward.
While the season is early and cool, and your plants tender, be attentive to slugs and other varmits. They’re hungry; no, make that voracious. What a shame to do all that work and then leave your handiwork unguarded. No fun to come back a few days later when you finally think about the garden again and find nothing but nubbins. Staying on top of sprouting slugs and weeds in the early stage of the garden pays off big dividends later.
