SOIL HEALTH

The key building block of organic gardening is soil health. Whether you have heavy clay or light sand, you can take active steps to improve your soil quality and stimulate the health of your plants.

To create good soil you need organic matter that will add nutrients to your soil. Fortunately, gardeners have an easier time building organic matter in smaller areas than a farmer who is often covering many acres.

Organic matter consists of decomposed material that is returned and worked into the soil to feed microorganisms which in turn feed plants. Compost, garbage, hay, straw, manure, and crops high in nitrogen that are grown just to be turned under are high on the list of natural fertilizers. Organic matter not only helps plants become resistant to disease and pests, but also holds water, provides habitat for microorganisms and counters topsoil erosion.

If you are just getting started gardening, you may want to consider getting a soil test which will tell you your soil's pH, the level of acidity. Each plant has an ideal pH range, but most vegetables and landscape plants grow best in soil with a pH of 6.0 to 7.5. When soil pH falls below 6.0, nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium are less available to plants; and when the pH rises above 7.5, iron, manganese, and phosphorus are less available. Regular applications of compost have been shown to help bring soil pH into balance. (And, of course, you can also work with what you've got and grow plants that thrive in the natural pH of your soil.) Contact your local Cooperative Extension office for information on getting your soil pH tested.