The Secret to Perfect, Easy to Work With Garden Soil

CreekLineHouse .
by CreekLineHouse .
3 Materials
OK, all of you seasoned gardeners, it’s time to look away. icon This secret to perfect, easy to work with garden soil is probably something that you’ve known for a long time. It’s probably something that seems obvious and like something you assume everyone knows. It’s probably something you were taught at a young age growing up, or figured out on your own just from a lot of time spent out in the garden.
Let me tell you though, this is definitely not something that everyone knows about, even though it’s one of the simplest, easiest, most basic and fundamental parts of preparing for a garden. So this one goes out to all the new and new-ish gardeners out there!
[Psst! Looking for more great gardening tips?! Check out DIY Natural Garden Fertilizers for Miraculous Results!]
Everything is going just fine until you go to dig in to make your first hole and quickly discover that your garden dirt is mysteriously different from the stuff on TV. It’s probably rock hard, clumpy, lumpy, full of roots from weeds old and new, and just generally difficult to deal with. Well, let me tell you, it doesn’t have to be this way! In fact, once you figure this little secret out, preparing your soil for planting in the spring is going to be one of the easiest things you do all gardening season. It’s downright relaxing!
So here’s the secret. Are you ready?
Grab a shovel. Dig. Repeat.
In the early spring when the ground is soft from the thaw, usually late February or early March around here, we go out with a couple of big shovels and dig up the soil in all of our garden beds. We dig around any plants that stay in year round like the berry plants, rhubarb, and some of the herbs.
[Hey! Are you in the midst of planning your perennial garden for this year?! You might want to check this out!]
We don’t aim to get everything perfect, we just move things around and clear a few things away that are like right there in front of our faces and, most importantly, aerate the soil before the warm suns of spring bake it into near concrete. (Don't forget to click the below link below for full instructions!)
Suggested materials:
  • Shovel
  • Dirt
  • Elbow Grease
CreekLineHouse .
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
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Frequently asked questions
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  1 question
  • Kkq10751 Kkq10751 on May 05, 2017

    well, that's fine if, you live where there is dirt , i am from Missouri , yes the soil is great there, but now i live in Florida just sand, so do i have to buy soil, i guess, any ideas ?

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  • Mona Blake Mona Blake on Apr 09, 2018

    Every year we use coffee grounds, banana skins and egg shells in our gardens. The coffee grounds and crushed egg shells break up the soil and add lime to neutralize the soil and bananas have potassium.

    • Nancy  Kaplan Nancy Kaplan on Nov 26, 2018

      That's what I'm adding to my composter. Hopefully it will be ready by Spring.

  • Mona Blake Mona Blake on Nov 26, 2018

    Keep it moist and turn twice a week.

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