Soil & Water

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Fertilizing Your Organic Garden

Organic fertilizers generally come from plants, animals, or minerals. Soil organisms break down the material into nutrients that plants can use. Some organic fertilizers contain significant amounts of [more…]

How to Choose Mulch for Your Vegetable Garden

For vegetable gardeners, each type of mulch — organic and inorganic — has a unique purpose. No matter which you choose, however, mulching your vegetable garden has multiple rewards: It suppresses weeds [more…]

How to Test Your Soil

To have a successful garden, test your soil and amend it if necessary to create the best possible growing environment for plants. Testing your soil means you determine the pH level and nutrient content [more…]

How to Adjust Soil pH for Your Garden

Most garden soils have a pH between 5.5 and 8.0. This number helps you determine when and how to adjust your garden soil's pH level. If the pH level is below 6, the soil is too acidic, and you need to [more…]

How to Improve Garden Soil with Organic Matter

Organic matter is the key to amending less-than perfect garden soil. To fix mucky clay or sandy sand soil, add plenty of organic matter. You can't change the type of soil you have, but adding organic matter [more…]

Watering Systems for Your Vegetable Garden

You can water your vegetable garden several different ways. Basic watering techniques for vegetable gardens include creating simple furrows and basins. Watering systems involve sprinklers, regular hoses [more…]

Gardening Tips for Conserving Water

Whether you're a novice or experienced gardener, embrace water-conservation methods even if you don't live in a water-restricted area. Conserve water as you garden, and you'll help save this precious resource [more…]

When to Mulch Your Vegetable Garden

Choosing a mulch and deciding when to use it in your vegetable garden depends on the type of vegetables that you grow and when you plant them. Check out these mulching tips for different types of vegetables [more…]

Choosing a Fertilizer for Your Vegetable Garden

As garden vegetables grow, they undergo an intensive process that strips nutrients from the soil. Adding fertilizer keeps soil in optimum shape to feed your garden. Choosing the right type of fertilizer [more…]

How to Side-Dress Your Vegetable Garden

Some garden vegetable plants and soil types require a consistent side-dressing of fertilizer throughout the growing season. To side-dress vegetable plants, you apply fertilizer to the soil on or around [more…]

How to Choose Mulch for Your Flower Garden

Mulching flower beds is a good gardening habit. Mulch inhibits weed growth, holds in soil moisture, and moderates soil-temperature fluctuations. In cold-winter areas, mulching protects plant roots from [more…]

How to Prepare Garden Soil for Planting

The biggest mistake beginning gardeners make is using lousy or too-thin soil. Before planting anything in your yard, prepare your garden beds by digging to loosen the soil and adding organic material! [more…]

Which Soil Nutrients Does Your Garden Need?

Overall, plants need 16 specific elements, or nutrients, for proper growth. When enough of each nutrient is present in soil, plants grow optimally. If even one element is in short supply, plants can't [more…]

How to Deal with Drainage Problems in the Garden

You know you have a drainage problem in your garden when heavy or even moderate rain leaves puddles that take forever to drain. Or you may find out, to your dismay that under a few inches of okay soil [more…]

Plant-Based Fertilizers for Organic Gardens

Fertilizers made from plants generally have low to moderate N-P-K (Nitrogen-phosphorous-potassium) values, but their nutrients quickly become available in the soil for your plants to use. Some of them [more…]

Animal-Based Fertilizers for Organic Gardens

Animals, fish, and birds all provide organic fertilizers that can help plants grow. Animal-based fertilizers contain nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium ¯ the primary nutrients plants need to grow. They [more…]

How to Assess Soil Composition

The health of garden plants depends on the soil's composition — the proper balance of mineral pieces, organic matter, air, and water. Knowing the type of soil you have can help you choose techniques to [more…]

The Essentials of Garden Soil

The better your garden soil is, the better your plants will grow. But how do you know what good soil is? Plants thrive in soils that have suitable composition, great nutrition, lots of organic matter, [more…]

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