- Waterwise Gardening | David Salman
Soil Preparation for New Beds and Planting Holes
March is a great time to begin soil preparation for the upcoming growing season. By getting the soil mixed with beneficial soil additives now, it gives the beneficial microbial organisms and earthworms a head-start on breaking down these additives, so the plant roots can uptake the nutrients at planting time.
Preparing New Flower or Vegetable Beds
The general rule of thumb for preparing new flower beds or vegetable garden areas is;
For large new beds, ½ to 1 cubic yard of Reunity compost or Back To Earth Cottonburr Compost and 3 to 4 lbs. of Yum Yum Mix soil food per 100 sq. ft.
For smaller areas, a 1 cubic ft bag of Reunity Resources compost (or half a bag, I cubic ft., of Back to Earth Compost) per 10 sq. ft. of bed area and a measuring cup of Yum Yum Mix.
Big or small bed, dig down 8 to 12 inches deep, and thoroughly mix these ingredients.
Then set up your sprinkler and water the new bed to moisten the newly turned soil down to the hard soil underneath. This will help to activate the soil microorganisms to begin to eat and digest the Yum Yum Mix and compost.
Planting Holes for Trees and Shrubs
If you’re the type of gardener who likes to plan in advance where new trees and shrubs are to be planted, it’s also very beneficial to dig the hole and mix in the soil additives in advance. This will provide an enriched soil with available nutrients at planting time.
When the hole is dug, fill the hole with water and let it drain down. This will help to store water deeply all around the planting hole to be available as the roots grow into the surrounding soil.
Then mix the Yum Yum Mix and Reunity Compost into the loose soil surrounding the hole.
Then refill the hole with the blended soil and additives. Water once again to moisten the backfill and begin the breakdown of the soil additives.
If you’re not able to prepare your beds and planting holes in advance, the above instructions are still relevant when preparing the soil at planting time.
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