How to Improve Soil Health to Improve the Crops in Your Home Garden

One of the most exciting things to have in your home is a beautiful garden, because it doesn’t only give you something to eat, but it also gives you a sense of responsibility. Ensuring that this garden is fertile for your crops is another essential part of this process, which is why you should consider your soil health.

This article will show you all that you need to know about your soil health and how you can improve it for a more productive garden. Follow me through this article; there’s so much to learn.

How to Improve Your Soil Health

Below are some trusted ways to care for the physical, chemical, and biological properties of your soil and improve your soil health in no time.

1. Reduce tillage or don’t till at all

Yes, tillage helps to loosen the soil for preparation for planting; however, there are side effects to that. Using the tillage tools might make the job quite easier for you, but it also makes your soil a little unhealthy. Tillage is favorably used in large farms where tilling with your hands may be impossible. In your home garden, tillage can result in your soil being blown away by wind or washed off by the rain.

2. Always add organic matter

Don’t be in the habit of planting on your soil immediately after clearing the garden. You cannot make healthy crops from unhealthy soil. Ensure always that you apply some organic matter that can help to boost the health of the soil. Aside from having to harvest only a little, unhealthy soil is easily infested by pests.

3. Tap into the benefit of cover crops

Cover crops do more than just cover up your garden during the no-planting seasons. They also help to keep your soil fertile, hydrated, and provide some helpful nutrients. They will also help to keep you constantly aware of your garden. Most cover crops die during winter, giving you some space to plant your crops for the springtime.

4. Create a pathway in your garden

One of the major challenges that face your garden is you constantly stepping on the soil. Stepping on the soil makes it easier to get compacted, thereby reducing tilth. Create special and permanent beds for planting and never walk on them. A pathway will also help visitors stay away from the beds.

5. Add some aged animal manure

Manure is one of the most important things that your garden will need for your crops to come out healthy. Note that you have to start adding manure to your soil even before the planting season comes to prepare the soil for planting.

Every one of the methods listed above has its specific advantage on your soil, which is why you have to use a combination of some or all of them to keep your soil always active and healthy for planting. Also, note that it is safer to apply these methods prior to planting. 

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Photo by elizabeth lies on Unsplash