How do I make my above ground small gardens more fertile?
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Collect leaves and add to the soil, a bag of sand mixed in the dirt, food scraps except meat and fat, newspaper will deteriorate into fertilizer, wood hops or mulch, cow manure, grass clippings turned into the soil, azomite is powdered volcanic ash...sold on amazon... purchase worms from uncle bims worm farm on Amazon, add grass clippings, start a compost pile.
Hi Joe. I always add compost and cow manure to my gardens every year.
If you already have heavy clay soil, avoid adding sand. Sphagnum peat moss, plenty of composted cow manure or weed free horse manure (well composted), dried mowed leaves, and a good grade of top soil, shoveled together then dug into existing soil will help.
If soil needs further drainage assistance, add perlite or greensand, dug into the top 2-3 " of soil. If you need more water holding capability, add vermiculite.
Mulch will break down in about 2 years time, but will help wil soil composition. You can use hardbark mulch for most plants. Use dried pine needles for areas needing more acidity. Add lime to soil amendments for areas requiring less acidity (such as lawns) .
If you have problems with animals/rodents, or don't wish to attract them, avoid adding raw food scraps directly to soil. Instead, install or build a compost pile to your yard which is contained in a tightly sealed container, inaccessible to animals.
Gardens Alive, Old Farmers Almanac, Rodale Institute, Rutgers University, Penn State University all have websites with excellent garden and lawn advice.