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Soil Preparation

© Keith Muraoka

With spring soon upon us in most parts of California, fair weather gardeners will soon be anxiously planting. Don't make the beginning gardeners biggest mistake of throwing in that new plant, new flowers or transplantable vegetables into rock-hard ground. I know because I've been there. I've had cheap trowels literally bend while attempting to dig a small planting hole.

Which brings us to soil preparation. Now is the ideal time to improve your soil. After a long, cold winter season and before you plant anew, rejuvenating planting areas. Bring in plenty of organic compost, peat moss, redwood soil conditioner, steer manure, mushroom compost, sand -- you get the picture. Practically any type of soil amendment will be an improvement over hard ground. This time of year you can also add organic manures like steer manure, chicken manure and mushroom compost. The good thing about the timing is that the weather is cool enough where you can add plenty of organic matter without fear of "burning."

Be aware that if you're working on a large area, it might be cheaper to order soil amendments in bulk from a rockery rather than buying truckloads of bags from the nursery. Even after the $15 delivery charge, you may come out ahead. Please note that you have to factor in the time it will take to shovel and wheelbarrow the huge dirt pile in your driveway to wherever you need it. For smaller jobs, you can save time by simply carrying large bags of soil amendments to where you need it.

If you're a serious gardener, you might consider buying an inexpensive soil test kit available at nurseries or hardware stores. If your plants aren't growing as well as you think they should, a soil test could be a good place to start. Soil tests will give a precise reading on whether you might need to raise or lower the soil's pH or whether your soil might need so-called fertilizer "trace elements," such as sulphur, lime or iron. You can also get a detailed and more accurate soil test through a private soil laboratory. Contact your local cooperative extension service to find a lab in your area.

Whatever you end up adding to your garden, don't just throw it on top and expect it to help. Instead, and you probably don't want to read this, soil amendments need to be mixed into existing soil. This step can not be skipped! If it's a small area that you're amending, you might be able to get away with hand digging your amendments in. In most cases, however, a rototiller will be needed.

The copyright of the article Soil Preparation in California Gardening is owned by Keith Muraoka. Permission to republish Soil Preparation in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.