Down and Dirty

My Uncle Bill would always say, “You are what you eat!” He was right. I will extend Uncle Bill’s train of thought to; “You are what you eat and what you surround yourself with.” If you eat junky foods and surround yourself in junk, you probably will not be very emotionally and physically healthy. The same is true for plants.
A plant’s health and growing ability is directly linked to what it is planted in. This brings up the topic of soil. Before you put the little lovelies in the ground, you need to make sure you are surrounding your plants with good soil. If your soil is too heavy, the plant roots may rot. If the soil is too light, your water bill will suffer. If the soil is of a poor quality, a plant cannot grow and mature. You see, plants really are a lot like people. So, take a little time and augment your soil.

Follow these tips for improving your soil "8 Strategies for Better Garden Soil."
For garden chemistry check out "Amending Your Garden Soil."
"Preparing Garden Soil" is a benificial read.
"How Stuff Works" tells how weeds can give you insight into your soil.
"About.com" also has a lot to say about soil.
"Doug Green" has great advice on all gardening topics.

Click photo to go to "Gardening Tips 101."