How To Get Soil Ready For Planting In Spring

Take a couple of extra steps and start your garden prep for spring. Read on to get some tips on how to get soil ready for planting.

Reader Contribution by Barbara Pleasant
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Take a couple of extra steps and start your garden prep for spring. Read on to get some tips on how to get soil ready for planting.

What’s the best way to get my garden beds ready for the first crops of the year?

Taking time in spring to build fertility and loosen soil will set you up for a more productive year. First, a few weeks before you plan to plant, work in any cover crops and then blanket your garden bed with at least a half-inch layer of good compost — a full inch would be even better. The compost will provide the soil with a fresh infusion of nutrient-rich organic matter, and improve the soil’s ability to handle water and nourish your crops. Quality bagged compost can be pricey at garden centers. Unearth local sources of bulk compost by checking Craigslist, or try posting to one of MOTHER EARTH NEWS’ location-specific Facebook pages.

Second, focus on cultivating your soil. Pounding rain, gravity and other forces can cause soil to become compacted over time, so loosening it before planting should be a priority. If you plan to plant in a young bed that you need to cultivate in order to remove rocks or roots, use a shovel or digging fork to turn the soil when it’s dry and crumbly (never when it’s wet and clumpy, or you’ll be stuck with big, brick-like clods). In established beds, you can use a broadfork to break up the soil. This will prime your garden soil for planting by helping it dry out and warm up, and permit roots to penetrate the soil more easily.

  • Updated on Feb 14, 2023
  • Originally Published on Mar 27, 2020
Tagged with: Barbara Pleasant, compost, gardening, Reader Contributions, Virginia
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