PREPARING YOUR SOIL FOR PLANTING -Part One
As soon as the ground is workable
People often ask how to prepare their garden in the spring. The advice I will give here assumes that you are moving in the direction of no-till biological cultivation, and that you are not “feeding” your plants with any type of organic or inorganic fertilizers. It also assumes that you are using biologically balanced compost, not bacterially dominated compost, that you have at least 4% organic matter, and that your soil is not contaminated with toxins. Finally, your soil chemistry levels should all be at least slightly above the “low “levels. If you are just beginning to transition your soil to a healthy ecosystem, I strongly recommend working with a certified Soil Food Web School consultant.
The 5 Sense Exam ~ Johann von Goethe once said “The most important tools any scientist has are their 5 senses.” Although you may be focused on your soil and your seeds, please remember that your garden space is a unique and integral part of an extremely complex above ground and below ground ecosystem. Pay attention to all the environmental factors that you can perceive. The information you can gather by simple observation is endless. If your soil is moist, pay attention to how quickly it dries out. Are there wet or muddy areas? Surface lichen? What types of life can you see in your soil with your eyes? How much sun do you have and how does that pattern change during the growing season? What grows near your garden? Trees? If so, what types? Are they healthy? Which birds live near your garden? Do you see raptors? Do you have chipmunks, voles, woodchucks, deer, foxes. raccoons, elephants? What types of insects have you had in the past? Any pests? How far can you stick your finger into the soil before it stops? What if you try a stick? How far does it go in easily? Are there still frozen areas? These are just a few examples of some of the more obvious things to be aware of.
Soil Chemistry Test ~ If you have not done a simple soil chemistry test, get one done. Ask for the additional heavy metals test, for lead and other possible soil toxins. The standard soil chemistry test will only tell you the levels of plant available nutrients presently in your soil. It does not tell you the total pool levels, but it is still important to have. The most important marker is the level of organic matter in your soil. Be sure your test includes this result. If you are in Maine you can get these tests fromUniversity of Maine Soil Testing Service or from Woods End Labs.
Soil Biology Test ~ The only test I recommend is a direct microscopy test from a certified Soil Food Web School lab technician. The respiration test that the University of Maine offers will tell you how much total life is in your soil, but it can't tell you which types of organisms are present or in what numbers. This information is crucial to understanding both the health of your soil ecosystem and what needs to be done to improve it. There are other tests on the market that purport to tell you about your soil health, but they are close to worthless. The only other test that is beneficial is a DNA Analysis Test. However, these are very expensive and not at all practical for most gardeners or even farmers.
Compaction Test ~ Soil compaction is a huge problem for any grower who has it. Most plant roots can not penetrate compacted soil layers greater than 300psi, which hold water above them, preventing good soil drainage and encouraging anaerobic soil bacteria growth. These bacteria often produce toxins, like ammonia and alcohols, that can kill your plant roots. The best way to test for compaction levels is with a tool called a penetrometer. If you don’t have access to one, you can improvise with metal rods. The following 4 minute video shows an easy way to measure soil compaction (only watch from 1:30min - 5:30 min). If your soil is compacted at 6 inches or 8 inches, you have a pretty serious problem. Even compaction levels at 12 inches are not great. Ideally, your soil will allow your plant roots to easily extend two feet or more into the soil. Breaking up compaction is best done with professional help. Please do not use a rototiller or chemicals such as lime for this purpose!!! These methods will only temporarily help, and in a short time worsen your compaction problems.
Assessing Last Fall’s Actions ~ Ideally, you removed the dead above ground plants last fall, but did not remove their roots, and you covered the soil with both shredded leaf mulch and aged wood chips. If you did these things, you should have very little work to do before planting. How much has last fall's mulch decomposed over the winter? If the mulch is mostly gone, then you will need to add more leaf mulch and or some fine, aged wood chips when planting. Obviously, you can't bury delicate seeds under two inches of wood chips. Even some seedlings are in danger from too much mulch being applied in the spring. Seeds and seedlings are very vulnerable to pests, both in the soil and above. Such pests can often hide in thick mulch layers. This is especially true for straw mulch. Generally, I never use hay or cut grass for mulch. I only use carbon materials that will feed the fungal network. Once your seedlings are five or six inches high, they should be able to out grow most pests. Of course, if you are planting ten inch tomato seedlings, you don’t need to worry too much about mulch based pests. The exception would be too much wet straw, especially around brassicas plants. Wet straw is a perfect haven for slugs.
