Prepare garden beds for spring and beyond

FALLBROOK – Gardening enthusiasts may have been thinking about their landscape plans throughout the winter, eager to once again get their hands dirty with soil. Whether a home gardener is making preparations for edible crops or beautiful flowers, they must take time to make the soil amenable to planting.

To establish hearty, durable plants, gardeners can focus on three main areas: addressing soil composition, cultivating and adding nutrients.

First, account for the current soil composition. Many gardeners prefer growing a variety of plants in their gardens. Such an approach requires taking inventory of the type of soil in the garden and making the necessary modifications so that the types of vegetables, herbs, shrubs, or flowers that will be planted can grow in strongly. In fact, according to the plant company Proven Winners, the most important step to developing good roots is preparing the soil.

Take a sample of the soil and examine it to see what is present. If the soil is too full of clay, too sandy, too dense or too loose, that can lead to problems that prevent the plants from growing in strongly. Work with a garden center to add the right soil amendments to make a rich soil in the garden. It may include adding organic compost or manure, which will also add needed nutrients to the soil.

Next, cultivation prepares the soil for growth. Cultivating the soil can involve different steps. Removal of weeds, errant rocks, roots and other items will help prepare the soil. Mother Earth News suggested working on garden soil when the soil is damp but never wet; otherwise, it can become messy and clumpy.

Use a digging fork or shovel to lightly turn the soil when it's mostly dry. Gentle tillings also can open up the soil to incorporate the nutritional amendments and relieve compaction that likely occurred from freezing temps and snow pressure. Tilling also helps with drainage and oxygen delivery to roots. The DIY Network suggested turning over soil at a depth of 12 inches to work the soil about the length of a shovel spade; however, the resource Earth Easy said that existing garden beds have a complex soil ecosystems and simply top-dressing with compost or manure can be enough preparation for planting. Gardeners can experiment with the methods and learn which work best for their gardens.

Lastly, nutrition is not just for humans. Testing the soil's pH and the levels of certain nutrients in the soil, namely nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, will give gardeners an idea of other soil additions that may be needed. Soils with a pH below 6.2 often can benefit from the addition of lime several weeks before planting.

Soil tests will determine just how much fertilizer to add to the soil. Complete fertilizers will have equal amounts of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. Individual fertilizers can amend the soil with only these nutritional elements that are needed.

Top-dressing empty beds with a layer of mulch or compost can prevent weed growth and preserve moisture until it is time to plant. If existing shrubs or plants are in garden beds, use more care so as not to disturb roots or dig too deeply.

Preparing garden beds takes some effort initially, but it can be well worth the work when plants flourish throughout the growing season.