10. Soil Test
Take soil samples and submit them to the Extension for testing; to determine if any nutrients are deficient, or if lime or sulfur is recommended to adjust pH.
9. Reduce or Eliminate Chemical Fertilizers
Synthetic fertilizers may provide a “quick fix” for nutrient deficiencies, but don’t offer long-term soil building benefits. They can also cause significant reduction in living soil organisms, and may cause a buildup of salts in soil.
8. Reduce or Eliminate Chemical Pesticides
A healthy soil is alive and bio-diverse. In addition to the “bad” bugs that you are trying to control, pesticides may kill beneficial insects and pollinators needed for a healthy garden.
7. Keep Roots & Residues
The garden does not always have to be “swept clean”. Try leaving the roots of spent plants in the ground, to add organic matter and create pathways for air and earthworms. Let plant residues remain in the garden for a natural mulch. (*diseased plants should be removed and destroyed)
6. Rotate Crops
Continually rotate crop families throughout the garden, to help break disease and pest cycles.
5. Reduce Tillage
Strive to “work” the soil as little as possible, and as gently as possible. Excessive tillage (especially aggressive Rotary Tillers) can destroy soil structure and cause rapid loss of soil organic matter.
4. Keep it Covered
Strive to keep your garden soil covered by a crop or mulch at all times*. Bare soil is a “party invitation” to weeds! ... and encourages erosion, compaction, and surface crusting. (*Mulch may need to be removed in early Spring, to allow the soil to warm up and dry out.)
3. Don’t Tread on Me
Make specific paths in the garden, with the goal to never step on the rows or beds that are designated for crops. This will lessen compaction, promoting better soil structure in and around the root zone.
2. Don’t Work it Wet
Do not “work” (cultivate) a soil that is saturated with water. Working a wet soil can cause major damage to soil structure, and compaction. Test a handful of soil to see if it is “crumbly”. If the soil packs into a ball, smears, or feels “plastic”; it is too wet to work.
1. add Organic Matter
Continue to add quality organic matter to your soil. Compost is an excellent source of fertile organic matter. Mulches, cover crops, and manure may also be used to supply organic matter.
list compiled by Mark Murphy, CMG