A Dirt Primer

The best way to improve the texture of soil while adding nutrients is to amend the soil with compost. I know, it's a trendy buzzword, but here is the fact: compost (organic matter) is hands-down the very best way to get that chocolate cake soil we all covet.

Compost is derived from the word composite, meaning "put together". It is defined as "a mixture of decomposing vegetation for fertilizing soil". The more decomposed the vegetation is, the better an amendment it will be. Partially decomposed vegetation is coarse and lumpy. Good compost feels very much like loamy soil.

You can buy organic matter in bags labeled "compost" or "humus" at your local nursery or home warehouse. This is a fine choice if you do not currently have a composting bin. Buying bagged organic matter (or having it delivered in bulk) will give your planting areas a head start while you begin the process of creating your own compost.

Commercial compost barrels make compost quickly, and can be moved from collection point (kitchen door, weed pile) to the garden for spreading. They are user-friendly and great for small yards or people with limited mobility.

If you have a four-foot square area in your yard, you can make a large cylinder of chicken wire with a smaller cylinder in the middle as a chimney. Fill the cylinder with grass clippings, fallen leaves, weeds, and kitchen scraps (no meat, please). Try to make layers of brown and green. Stir the mixture a few times a year if you wish; I've found that it isn't necessary to stir it if you are willing to wait until the following spring to spread it. It takes at least one year for a four-foot diameter by four-foot high compost pile to create fully decomposed organic matter for use in your planting beds.

Spread the compost around your plantings and scratch it in to the soil a bit. If you think your compost might have weed or grass seeds in it (most does), sprinkle some pre-emergent like Preen on top, then cover with a 2-inch layer of mulch. If you have a new planting bed, your new babies will thrive. If you have current plantings, your existing plants will say "Wow!" by showing you their healthier, happier sides.

Do the squeeze-the-damp-soil test again next year. What kind of soil will you have?

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