Soil, Compost, & Mulches

Healthy soil is the foundation of a pest free, disease resistant, and abundant garden. Instead of chemical fertilizers, use natural soil enrichments such as manure and compost. Buy a soil-testing kit and discover the pH and nutrient content of your soil: this knowledge will help you bring the best out of your garden.

Loosening the clay soil in your garden
Clay soil is heavy and sticky and can suffocate plant roots, but it does retain abundant moisture and is often rich in nutrients.To improve the drainage of clay soil, work it with a garden fork and add horticultural sand or gravel to the depth of at least 12in (30cm). Avoid working in clay soil when the ground is wet standing on or digging in wet soil will cause it to compact even more.

Improving sandy soil
Sandy soil drains quickly but does not retain nutrients or moisture well. Add soil improvers such as compost or leaf mould and dig it in to a depth of at least 30cm (I 2in).To make the job easier, simply spread a layer of organic matter over the surface of garden beds in the autumn. By spring, most of the compost or leaf mould will have been broken down and worked into the soil by earthworms and other beneficial soil organisms.

Creating new beds in your garden
Clearing an area of grass and weeds is a lot of hard work.You can make it easier by killing the grass and weeds first In the summer or autumn, cover the area you want cleared with large flattened cardboard cartons. Place leaves, grass clippings, or straw over the cardboard, making at least a 15cm (6in)-thick layer of mulch. Remove the cardboard and mulch the following spring, and your ground will be ready to prepare for planting.

Compost for soil health
One of the most effective ways of improving your soil is to use compost from grass clippings. prunings, leaves, and kitchen wastes such as fruit and vegetable peelings, eggshells, coffee grounds. and tea leaves. To avoid attracting animals and pests do not use meats or fatty foods and do not include diseased plants or weeds that have gone to seed.

Green and brown composting materials
Good healthy compost needs approximately equal amounts of green and brown materials.

Brown materials:
Dried leaves, dried garden flowers and plants, straw, and shredded newspaper

Green materials:
Grass clippings, fresh plant and flower clippings, vegetable and fruit peelings. and manure.

Making a simple compost heap
A wire or wood sat bin that s about a metre (3ft) in diameter makes a good compost bin. Begin your compost heap by spreading a layer of brown material (such as dried leaves) about 15cm (6in) thick Follow this with a layer of green material (such as grass clippings) about 15cm (6in) thick.

Cover the green material with about 25mm (I in) of garden soil. Add another layer of brown material and moisten the compost heap with water. Continue layering the heap with approximately equal amounts of brown and green materials mixed with a little soil, and keep the heap about as moist as a damp sponge.

Turn the heap every two weeks with a garden fork When the compost heap is about a metre (3ft) tall, start another heap. In approximately two months to one year, the compost will be dark brown, soft crumbly, and ready to use in your garden.

Speed up composting
To speed up the composting process. cut up all the materials you want to use into small pieces before adding them to your compost heap.

Making leaf mould
Leaf mould is an excellent, nutrientrich compost to add to your garden. An easy way to make leaf mould is to fill heavy plastic lawn bags with leaves raked from your lawn or a neighbours lawn. Wet the leaves down by spraying with a hose, and poke a couple of dozen holes in the bag with a garden fork Fold the top of the bag to close it and place a heavy brick on top. Let it sit for six months or longer in a sunny location, until the leaves have decomposed into a rich compost. A hot, humid climate will break down the leaves more quickly than a cold, dry climate.

Using compost in your garden
All soils can be improved by the regular addition of compost. To add nutrients and improve soil texture, spread 5cm (tin) of aged compost on to vegetable and annual beds in the spring.Tum the compost into the soil, and then seed or put in transplants. During the growing season, add compost as a mulch to vegetable gardens to further enrich the soil.

Making potting soil
Compost makes a potting soil of excellent quality. Before using, first filter the compost through a coarse mesh screen to remove large chunk of organic material.
350g (11.5oz) good garden soil
160g (5.5oz) compost or leaf mould
120g (4oz) vermiculite
1 tablespoon bone meal
Mix the ingredients together and use the mixture for your houseplants or for starting seeds.

Feed the soil
To ensure that your plants remain healthy. rt is more important to feed the soil in which they grow than it is to add fertilizer to the plants. Create a soil rich in nutrients by adding large amounts of organic materials such as compost and leaf mould to your soil throughout the year.

Nourish your plants with compost tea
Plants flourish when fed with a tea made from aged compost Compost tea can be used as a root fertilizer, and sprayed on leaves to nourish the plant through the foliage. It provides a rich source of nutrients for all types of plants and also helps to control pests and diseases when used as a spray.

To make compost tea, fill a cloth bag with aged compost and tie the top closed. Submerge the bag in a clean dustbin, add water to cover the bag by 15cm (6in), and cover. Let steep for a couple of weeks. During this time, the compost tea will ferment and create a population of beneficial bacteriaTo use, pour the desired amount into a watering can or garden sprayer and dilute with three parts water Use weekly to keep plants healthy.

Mulching your garden
Mulching plants is one of the biggest time-saving practices in your garden. Adding mulch to a garden conserves soil moisture, inhibits weed growth, and helps to maintain a consistent soil temperature to protect plant roots from excessive heat or cold. Bark chips. shredded bark cocoa shells and pine needles are attractive mulches and are best suited to flower beds and for mulching around shrubs and trees.

Compost, leaf mould, shredded leaves, grass clippings, and straw are excellent mulches for vegetable gardens. They decompose fairy quickly and can be turned in to the soil at the end of the season, helping to improve soil texture and adding nutrients. In general, apply layer of mulch at least 7.5cm (3in) thick to beds and plants.

Using mulch correctly
Mulching plants keeps soil moist and prevents plants from drying out, but it can harbour plant pests.To avoid these, occasionally rake the mulch to keep pests from setting up house. It is best to keep mulch 25mm (I in) away from the base of plants; this improves air circulation and prevents potential problems with excess dampness.

Soaker hoses
To conserve water and deliver it directly to the roots of plants. lay soaker hoses (available at garden supply stores) under the mulch.

Acid-loving plants
Pine needles are an excellent mulch for acid-loving plants such as azaleas and rhododendrons.