Organic Garden Soil

8/9/2019 Organic Garden Soil

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Organic Garden Soil

A good garden soil should 1) soak up water readily, yetdrain fairly rapidly; 2) hold enough moisture for plants togrow; 3) remain loose and crumbly even in dry weather;4) have ample space for air to circulate and roots to growfreely; 5) be easy to work; and 6) produce good cropswith only occasional applications of fertilizer. These kinds
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of soil usually have a pleasant smell and are full ofearthworms.

Most good garden soils arent formed naturally; they are

man-made. The way to make the best garden soil is touse ample amounts of organic amendments. Becausethese materials are constantly being broken down andused in the soil, you should replenish them each time youprepare the soil for planting. Compost and manycommercial products are good organic amendments. (Youcan also replenish the soil by a process called greenmanuring.) When you add organic amendments, put

them down in a 3 to 6-inch-deep layer on top of the soiland work them in to a depth of 9 to 12 inches.1.Homemade compost

The purpose of composting is to turn the waste materialsfrom your garden and kitchen into a rich, organic, soil-conditioning material. A compost pile does this efficientlyby accelerating the natural processes that occur whendead leaves, grasses, and other materials decompose.

Piling organic materials up while they decay is betterthan digging them into the ground because; when piledup, they dont temporarily rob growing plants of availablenitrogen while breaking down.What you put in your compost pile will depend on thewaste material available from your garden and kitchen,but you should follow a few basic rules so you dontcreate a trash pile.

1) Spread a layer of plant material, such as fallen leaves,green or dry weeds, and grass clippings, on a flat piece ofcleared ground. Add layers of manure (or a few handfulsof a nitrogen-rich fertilizer), topsoil, and kitchen scraps(except meat, fat, and bones). Keep adding more layersuntil youve used up all the debris. Dont put too much of


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one material in the same layer or it will tend to packtogether, slowing the breakdown and causing odor.2) Chop or grind materials into small pieces before youadd them to the pile. Smaller particles offer more

surfaces for decay organisms to work on. Materials suchas grass clippings that are too fine, however, should bemixed with coarser pieces so they dont turn into a slimymass.3) Heat build-up is essential to make compost. Tooshallow a pile wont hold enough heat in, and breakdownwill be slower. A compost pile 4 to 6 feet high will holdheat well and let air circulate. Some kind of a bin will

make it easier to stack compost to this height. Steamrising from the pile is a sign that heat is being genera ted.4) Keep the pile moist, but not soggy. Too much waterlimits the air supply. A pile with a slightly concave shapewill catch and hold the moisture better. During prolongedperiods of heavy rainfall, cover the pile with a plasticsheet or tarp to keep it from becoming soggy. If it doesget too wet, frequent turning will restore it to a healthy

condition.5) Turn the pile every few weeks. Good air circulationdiscourages odor and flies and speeds decay. Turningalso moves the outer, unrecompensed material into thecenter so it can break down. Plenty of succulent material,such as lawn clippings and soft green weeds, should bewell mixed with dry or woody materials.6) Nitrogen is needed by the decay-producing bacteria.

Sources of nitrogen are fresh manure, blood meal,sewage sludge, and commercial fertilizers.7) Compost is ready to use when it is crumbly and theoriginal materials have decomposed beyond recognitionusually about three months after the heap is built. Sift


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the compost before you use it. to eliminate large,unrecompensed chunks.2.Green manurePlanting a green manure cover crop is a good way to add

organic matter to your soil in a large garden. It is not, asits name suggests, a green-colored manure but a cropthat is grown specifically for turning under. Any of thefast-growing members of the grass family (annual ryegrass, barley, or oats) or the legume family (clover,vetch, lespedeza, broad beans, or peas) may be planted.

You could also use mustard, kale, or other broad-leafedplants. Lawn grass seeds, such as bluegrass or fescue,

grow too slowly to be practical.A green manure crop is usually planted in early fall sothat it will be half-grown by spring. The entire crop is thentilled into the ground a month or so before planting time.In regions with sub-zero winter temperatures, its best toseed the crop between standing vegetables in latesummer so plants can root before a heavy frost.If you must delay turning the crop under because the soil

is too wet, keep the crop down to an easily handled sizeby cutting it with a scythe, shears, or rotary mower. Thecrop does not have to be mature to be turned under.Although the top growth may be sparse, the welldeveloped root system will add a substantial amount oforganic matter as it decays.3. Purchased organic amendmentsIf you want to save money, shop around for good,

inexpensive, weed-free amendments or for amendmentsthat are free for the hauling. Depending on where youlive, you might find free peanut, rice, or almond hulls;pecan shells; cannery waste; cider mill pomace; or well-aged sludge from sewage treatment plants. (Cotton-


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producing states enforce regulations against the use ofcotton gin wastes to prevent the spread of insects.)4. Other amendments include the following:Peat moss. This is a fairly expensive but excellent soil

amendment. Several types are sold. Coarse brownsphagnum or hyponym peat moss is generally superior tosedge peats, which are usually black and extremely finetextured. Most peat moss sold in bales is air-dried. Wet itthoroughly before you mix it into the soil.Wood products. Various wood products, mainly saw-dusts and barks, are inexpensive substitutes for peatmoss. These amendments are sold in bagged, baled, or

bulk form (bulk form is the cheapest). You can get theseproducts from commercial firms and sometimes directlyfrom lumber mills or yards.

You can buy wood products either raw or treated. Rawsawdusts rob nitrogen from the soil as they break down,and a few kinds contain materials that can harm sometypes of plants. For that reason, most commercialproducts have been treated with nitrogen and allowed to

compost to some degree before they are sold. Thesecommercial wood products are generally safe to use forall kinds of plants. If you buy raw sawdust, add a nitrogenfertilizer to it and let it compost for a while before you digit into the soil.5. ManureAll forms of manure make useful soil amendments. Theyimprove soil structure and act as mild fertilizers. Besides

the manures mentioned below, other kinds, such asrabbit and sheep manure, may be available in someareas. These should be composted before using. In somearid regions where salt buildup in the soil is a problem,its probably best to use soil conditioners other thanmanure.


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Steer manure. Processed manures usually come fromcattle feed lots. Theyve been treated to kill weed seeds.Use them sparingly (add no more than 8 cubic feet per100 cubic feet of soil) as soil conditioners. Some kinds

have high contents of soluble salts. Water heavily aftersowing seeds pr transplanting plants to wash awayexcess salts.Fresh manure or stable litter. Fresh manure needs to beaged before it is used as a soil amendment or it will burnplants. Composting is a good way to age it. If thetemperature remains high enough, many weed seedsthat are usually present will be killed.

Fresh horse manure can also be dug into the soil to heatold-fashioned hotbeds.Poultry manure. Full of nutrients and virtually free ofweed seeds, chicken or turkey manure has long been afavored soil amendment. It must be aged or compostedbefore you mix it into the soil. Fresh poultry manure willquickly burn a newly-planted crop. Some gardeners usefresh chicken manure when they plant a green manure

crop in the fall. The growing crop absorbs nutrients fromthe manure. After being spaded under the followingspring, the decomposing material gradually and safelydispenses nutrients to the growing vegetables.

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Organic Garden Soil