Preparing the Soil
by Kim Tilley
http://www.frugal-moms.com

The better the soil your plants grow in, the better your results!

Most plants like a loamy soil. What is loamy, you say? A loamy soil is rich, dark and has lots of broken down organic matter in it (humus). Most top soil is loamy, but unfortunately builders strip new home sites of their top soil before building, so most of us have to add something to our soil to make it ideal for our plants.

First, you have to figure out what kind of soil you have. When it rains at your house, does the ground suck up the water quickly? Or does the ground stay muddy forever and seems almost greasy if you touch it? Take some soil and get it wet and squeeze it in your hand. If the soil falls apart, you probably have sandy soil, if it stays in a ball and feels greasy, it is probably more clay. If the ball holds together and then breaks apart when you touch it, you may be lucky and have loamy soil already (there are a few that do; they are mostly people living near rivers, on land that used to be the bottom of the river).

If your soil needs improvement (we gardeners say "amendments"), the best thing to add is compost. You can make your own or buy it at the store. Compost (often called "black gold") is broken down organic matter that plants need to thrive. It looks like chocolate cake (but don't eat it!) There are lots of microbes in compost that protect plants from disease, kind of like their vitamins. Compost can be added to either a sandy soil or clayey soil, it fixes both. And you can make it for free from veggie trimmings, cut grass and fallen leaves (no meat or dairy products, they draw animals). There are entire books written about composting, check your local library for detailed information. Composting is easy and cheap.

If you are just starting out and don't want the hassle of making compost, you can get topsoil with compost at a garden center. You can also get mushroom compost (what the mushroom factories grow their 'shrooms in- excellent for plants!) from the garden center or by the truckload if you live near a mushroom factory! Even gas stations and grocery stores sell topsoil, humus and compost in the springtime. The prices are usually pretty cheap, about $1 for a large bag. No matter how or where you get it, pick up or make some "black gold" for your garden!

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