Poor soil makes gardening tough. Plants struggle, and yields disappoint. But don’t worry—improving your soil is doable. In this guide, I’ll teach you how to improve garden soil to boost plant health and grow a thriving garden. We’ll cover six steps to transform your soil:
- Observe and test
- Minimize tillage and compaction
- Add compost
- Use soil amendments
- Keep the soil covered
- Encourage biodiversity
Follow these steps, and you’ll turn barren ground into a thriving garden.
Download the Soil Improvement Checklist
If you want a more detailed checklist to follow and take with you into your garden, I have a free printable, Soil Improvement Checklist, that you can download by popping your name and email into the form below.
6 Steps to Improve Soil Health
Step 1: Observe and Test
Before making any changes, it’s important to know what you’re working with. Observing and testing your soil gives you a clear picture of its current state and specific needs.
Garden Soil Observation
Start by looking at your soil. Is it sandy, clayey, or loamy? Does water drain quickly or collect on the surface? Are there signs of life like earthworms? These observations can give you clues about the soil’s structure and fertility.
Watch, Listen, Feel: What’s Happening in the Garden? An Observation Worksheet
Conduct Simple Soil Tests
Next, conduct some basic soil tests. A pH test will tell you if your soil is too acidic or too alkaline, which affects nutrient availability. You can use a probe style pH meter like this one, or use pH paper.
You can test for soil texture by feeling it—sandy soils feel gritty, silty soils feel smooth, and clay soils feel sticky.
To test soil drainage, next time you dig a planting hole, fill it with water and time how long it takes to drain. This will tell you whether your soil is well drained and how well it holds water.
Send Soil Samples to a Lab
For a more detailed analysis, consider sending a soil sample to a lab. The results will show nutrient levels and organic matter content, helping you decide what amendments or practices will best improve your soil. Find local soil testing labs through your closest university extension.
Understanding your soil’s condition is the foundation for successful gardening. By observing and testing, you can tailor your approach to give your plants exactly what they need.
Step 2: Minimize Tillage and Compaction
Over tilling and soil compaction are issues that go hand in hand. Tilling or double digging garden beds is a method of breaking up compacted soil and creating a good seedbed for planting. However, tilling harms soil over time and can contribute to subsoil compaction.
Use No-Till or Low-Till Gardening Practices
Tilling breaks up soil structure, reduces organic matter, and harms beneficial microorganisms, which can lead to erosion and lower soil fertility. While it may be necessary to till or double-dig when initially creating garden beds, avoid tilling or digging once they’re established—except for planting.
Instead, use no-till gardening methods to maintain and improve your garden soil.
Avoid Soil Compaction
Soil compaction creates dense, hard layers that restrict root growth and limit water and nutrient retention. To address compaction, minimize foot traffic on garden beds, avoid working the soil when it’s wet, and use tools like a broadfork or garden fork to gently aerate compacted soil without disrupting the layers.
Minimizing both tillage and compaction will help maintain soil health and support healthier, more productive plants.
Step 3: Add Compost
Compost is a gardener’s best friend when it comes to improving soil fertility and health. Rich in organic matter, compost feeds your soil, boosts its ability to hold moisture, improves structure, and supports a diverse community of beneficial microorganisms.
Make or Source Quality Compost
Start by making or sourcing quality compost. If you’re making your own, use a mix of green materials (like kitchen scraps and fresh yard waste) and brown materials (like dried leaves and straw). Turn your compost regularly to speed up decomposition and ensure even breakdown.
To learn more about creating your own compost, read my article linked below:
From Waste to Gold: Urban Composting Techniques That Actually Work
How to add compost
When adding compost, simply layer it on top of the soil. A 2 inch layer is usually enough to see benefits without overwhelming the soil. The compost will gradually integrate with the soil as it breaks down, improving soil structure and making nutrients available to your plants.
Yes, You Can Have Too Much Compost
Be careful not to overdo it. Excess compost can cause nutrient imbalances, preventing plants from absorbing other essential nutrients, and may lead to waterlogged soil, especially in raised beds. This can cause poor drainage, root problems, and plant damage similar to fertilizer burn, particularly with sensitive plants or improperly prepared compost.
Compost isn’t just about feeding your plants today; it’s an investment in the long-term health of your soil. Regular, balanced applications will lead to more fertile, productive soil that supports robust plant growth year after year.
Step 4: Use Soil Amendments
While compost is an amendment I recommend for every garden, other soil amendments are optional and should be used based on your specific soil’s needs. These amendments can address particular deficiencies or improve certain soil properties.
Nutrient Boosters
- Compost Tea: Compost tea is a liquid extract of compost that delivers nutrients directly to plant roots and enhances microbial activity in the soil. It’s ideal for giving plants a quick nutrient boost. Buy it or make your own with a compost tea bubbler.
- Rock Dust: Rock dust replenishes trace minerals that might be lacking in your soil, supporting overall plant health.
pH Adjusters
- Lime: If your soil’s pH is too low (acidic), lime can raise it, making the soil more suitable for plants that prefer neutral to alkaline conditions.
- Sulfur: If your soil’s pH is too high (alkaline), sulfur can lower it, making the soil more suitable for acid-loving plants. I use an organic fertilizer for acid loving plants that contains sulfur for my blueberries and lingonberries.
Texture Enhancers
- Biochar: Biochar boosts soil fertility and helps retain moisture, especially in sandy soils. It also supports long-term carbon sequestration in the soil.
- Sand: Sand can be added to heavy clay soils to improve drainage and aeration, making the soil less dense and more plant-friendly.
Applying Amendments
Refer to your soil test results to decide which, if any, of these amendments are needed. Apply them carefully, following recommended rates to avoid over-amending, which can lead to nutrient imbalances or other issues.
Using the right amendments can fine-tune your soil’s composition, making it more suitable for plant growth and contributing to a healthier, more productive garden.
Step 5: Keep the Soil Covered
Keeping your soil covered is crucial for maintaining its health. Bare soil is vulnerable to erosion, moisture loss, and temperature extremes, all of which can harm plant roots and soil structure.
Mulch is a Must
One of the best ways to keep soil covered is with mulch. Organic mulches, like straw, wood chips, or leaves, protect the soil surface, retain moisture, and slowly break down to add organic matter. Mulch also helps suppress weeds, reducing competition for nutrients and water.
Cover Crops
Another option is to use cover crops, also known as green manures. These are plants grown specifically to cover the soil between planting seasons. Cover crops prevent erosion, improve soil structure, and add nutrients when they’re cut back and left to decompose.
Maintaining year-round soil cover protects and improves your soil. It keeps the ecosystem stable, promotes healthier plant growth, and contributes to the long-term fertility of your garden.
Step 6: Encourage Biodiversity
Encouraging biodiversity in your garden is key to maintaining a healthy, resilient ecosystem. A diverse garden supports a variety of beneficial insects, birds, and microorganisms that help keep pests in check and contribute to soil health.
Below are some ways to increase biodiversity.
Grow Polycultures and Use Companion Planting
Growing a variety of plants together mimics natural ecosystems and reduces the risk of pest infestations. Companion planting involves strategically placing plants that benefit each other, such as planting marigolds to repel pests from tomatoes. Also, planting in guilds, which are multiple plants growing together that benefit each other and occupy different spatial and functional niches.
Include Flowering Plants for Pollinators
Plant a range of flowering plants that bloom throughout the season to provide a continuous source of nectar for pollinators like bees and butterflies. This not only supports these essential creatures but also boosts your garden’s productivity.
Avoid Pesticides and Herbicides
These chemicals can harm beneficial insects, pollinators, and soil life. Instead, use organic or natural pest control methods, such as encouraging predatory insects or using barriers like row covers.
Don’t Fully Clean Up the Garden at the End of the Season
Leaving some plant debris and standing plants provides habitat for beneficial insects over winter. However, if you have areas with heavy pest pressure, it’s wise to remove plant residue to reduce the number of pests surviving until spring.
Add Diverse Habitats
Incorporate features like rock piles, water sources, and native plants to create a variety of habitats within your garden. These elements attract a broader range of wildlife, further enhancing biodiversity.
By encouraging biodiversity, you create a balanced garden ecosystem where plants thrive, pests are naturally controlled, and the soil remains fertile and healthy over time.
Keep it Simple
I just went over the six steps to improve your soil’s health, but if you want to keep it really simple, just remember these three things when it comes to improving soil quality: Add Compost, Cover with Mulch, and Encourage Biodiversity. If you do nothing else, just doing those three things will improve your garden soil dramatically.
Conclusion
Transforming poor soil into fertile ground doesn’t happen overnight, but by following these steps, you’ll gradually build healthier, more productive soil. Start by observing and testing your soil to understand its needs, minimize compaction to protect its structure, and regularly add compost to boost organic matter. Use additional amendments based on your soil’s unique conditions, keep the soil covered to prevent erosion and retain moisture, and encourage biodiversity to create a balanced, resilient ecosystem.
Improving soil is a long-term process, but the results are worth it. By investing in your soil now, and learning how to improve garden soil, you’re setting the foundation for a thriving garden that will continue to flourish year after year.
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