Correct soil preparation is the secret to successful organic gardening. The goal is to feed the soil, which in turn will feed your plants. Start by testing your soil to find out exactly what you have got to work with. Home test kits will be available at garden-supply stores. A soil test will measure pH, the soil's astringency or alkalinity. The suggested pH for a plant garden is 6.8. The test results should include suggestions for adjusting the pH, as an example, how much how much sulfur to add to alkaline soils.

The test also should find the amounts of nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium, calcium and other elements in the soil that are urgent for healthy plants.

If nitrogen is a difficulty for your soil, and you are against using animal byproducts, your best chance may be to plant a nitrogen-fixing cover crop this first year and start your veggies the next. When gardeners talk of a soil, they are referring to earth that looks, feels and smells nice. That implies fruitful soil, with good structure depending on the amount to which the inorganic soil particles ; sand, silt, clay, and humus are bound together. Regardless of what kind of miserable soil you start with, it can be changed into the stuff great gardens are made from. You also should test the soil's proportion of organic matter, or rotten plant material.

There are dissimilar levels of consideration according to your area which will establish if a soil is organic. The best organic material to fertilize your garden with is compost. As a new gardener, you may not have compost of your own yet, but we'll help you out with a little later in the book. All these will supply nutrients to the soil a successful organic gardener knows are of supreme significance.

Work in some loose topsoil with natural organic material into the current soil. Pony or cow fertilizer will work the best here. Find a local farmer and ask if you can purchase some dung from him. If you do not have any of these available to you, most local garden centers will have some natural additions, or you may use leaves or grass clippings. By ploughing this organic material into the soil, the organic material will form moisture-holding humus in the soil and the loose structure will permit good drainage. Plus, it can supply required nutrients to your plants and help them thrive as they grow. You can make your own organic manure too. We'll give you two great "recipes" in later sections. Watch out that you do not dig up your plot too shortly in the season. We found one tip online that will help you establish if your soil is prepared for ploughing.

If it is more like fudge, wait till the soil has dried out to cake consistency. Soil is structured in layers, and it is best not to annoy those layers.

Dig down just far enough to get rid of clods of grass, weeds and root masses, shaking and battering out as much dust as feasible back into your garden. After the dust is prepared, let the garden rest for a couple of days before planting.