Chicken Soup for the Soil

Keeping Your Soil Healthy

Your soil is the most important part of your garden, but too many people forget to nurture their soil. Soil is a living thing, containing microbes, fungi, insect life and general "creepy-crawlies" vital to plant health and vigor, as well as a receptacle for chemicals and trace elements. Doing a little soil prep every fall pays off each and every harvest.

First, add more organic matter. Use your rototiller or your spade, and dig under frostbitten plant material, grass clippings, leaves, wood chips, and compost. Avoid using any diseased plant material as compost ? burn it first if there are no local restrictions on burning. If you live near any livestock, cover your garden with 1 ? 2" of uncomposted manure, then disguise that with other organic materials, and let the whole thing winter over. A blanket of snow from December through March will turn all of it into about ¼" of the most beautiful topsoil you can imagine.

It's also time to think about soil pH, or the acidity or alkalinity. The addition of organic materials can lower the pH, or make it more acidic. If your soil is already high in acid and you'd like to neutralize it, you can also add lime or wood ashes to your garden. Wood ashes are wickedly alkaline, but after a season or two, create an excellent haven for earthworms and add enough potash to the soil to grow wonderful root crops.

Finally, feed your fungi. Really. Many stores specializing in products for organic gardening and sustainable agriculture sell micorrhizal spores, which is a fungus that helps soil release its nutrients more easily. Micorrhiza needs to be fed in order to reproduce and survive the winter. Use a hose-end sprayer, and fill it halfway with gooey, blackstrap molasses. If you can find the sulphured kind, so much the better. Fill the rest of the sprayer with flat beer, and spray the solution over your garden beds. The sugar in the molasses feeds the existing fungi and beneficial bacteria in the soil, and the yeasts and enzymes in the beer add more.

You'll literally make your soil come alive, and that will help your garden thrive next year.

About The Author

Jean Fritz is a farmer and freelance writer. She owns and operates KittyVista Organics, a small organic farm located east of Indianapolis which specializes in heirloom, open pollenated and unusual varieties of flowers and vegetables. Visit the KittyVista website at http://clik.to/kittyvista/

kittyvista@yahoo.com

---

y, Fun Garden Plants

I have a love for funky, fun and unique garden... Read More

Grey Water- Not Drinking Water- For Your Garden

The average home can reduce their water consumption by around... Read More

Why Should You Create A Butterfly Garden?

Have you noticed you do not see as many butterflies... Read More

How to Grow Cooking Herbs

Grow your own cooking herbs to add fresh zest and... Read More

Flower Meanings & History of Flowers

The charming and delicate beauty of flowers has fascinated people... Read More

Slugging It Out In The Trenches

In an effort to introduce a shaft of sunlight into... Read More

Seeding Flowers Indoors: An Inexpensive Way to a Beautiful Summer Garden

Every year you plan that THIS will be the year... Read More

Hydroponics Gardening - An Introduction To Hydroponics Gardening For Beginners (Part 3) Lighting

THE BASICS OF HYDROPONICS.An Introduction To Indoor Plant Grow Lights.There... Read More

Guide to Basic Lawn Mower Maintenance

Trying to start your lawn mower after a long winter... Read More

A Quick Overview of Outdoor Hot Tubs

There is nothing quite as relaxing as a leisurely evening... Read More

What Type of Gazebo is Right for You? Top Questions You Need to Ask

Having a gazebo in the backyard is an excellent way... Read More

Herbs: Growing Your Own

The first thing you need to do when deciding to... Read More

Professional Lawn Watering Techniques - Wireless Sensors for Lawns in Drought Areas

The technnology secrets will help home owners maintain lawns in... Read More

A Look at Planting Flower Bulbs

Flowers are a favorite of many backyard gardeners. Thanks to... Read More

Invite Spring Early - Grow in Your Basement

Now's the time to get ready to grow your own... Read More

The Basics Of Pruning

The technique of pruning varies with the type of rose... Read More

Earthworm Friends in the Garden

Earthworms are a gardener's best friend.Research has shown that earthworm... Read More

Are You Being Taken Advantage of when Ordering Flowers Online?

Did you know that you can send flowers many different... Read More

Mustard: The Greatest Among The Herbs

Mustard plants have been used for thousands of years for... Read More

Grow Herbs in your Garden for Pleasure and Profit

Herbs can add a touch of magic to your garden... Read More

Lap Pools ? Great Exercise Inside Or Any Size Backyard

Do you love swimming? Do you dream of an in... Read More

How to Install a Liner Pond

Liner ponds are ideal for the experienced water gardener because... Read More

How to Grow Cucumbers

The versatile cucumber (cucumis sativus) is tasty pickled, in a... Read More

How to Control Poison Ivy

Poison ivy is found throughout southern Canada and most of... Read More

How To Prevent Damping Off

Damping off is the single term used to describe underground,... Read More