Sunset - real-estate-japan.info Sunset - real-estate-japan.info
Great Soil Hacks to Give Your Garden a Boost
  • Food & Drink
    • Recipes
    • Wine & Drinks
    • Holidays
    • Parties & Menus
    • Garden to Table
    • Grilling
  • Home & Garden
    • Garden Basics
    • Edible Gardening
    • Landscaping
    • Green Living
    • Flowers & Plants
    • Home Tours
    • DIY Projects
    • Decorating & Design
    • Beverly Hills Idea House
    • Silicon Valley Idea House
    • Outdoor Living
  • Lifestyle
    • Gifts & Shopping
    • Weddings
    • Pets
    • Tech
    • Family
    • Wellness
    • Videos
  • Travel
    • Destination Guides
    • Outdoor Adventure
    • Camping
    • National Parks
    • Culinary Travel
    • Wine Country
    • Road Trips
    • Hotels
  • Food & Drink
    • Recipes
    • Wine & Drinks
    • Holidays
    • Parties & Menus
    • Garden to Table
    • Grilling
  • Home & Garden
    • Garden Basics
    • Edible Gardening
    • Landscaping
    • Green Living
    • Flowers & Plants
    • Home Tours
    • DIY Projects
    • Decorating & Design
    • Beverly Hills Idea House
    • Silicon Valley Idea House
    • Outdoor Living
  • Lifestyle
    • Gifts & Shopping
    • Weddings
    • Pets
    • Tech
    • Family
    • Wellness
    • Videos
  • Travel
    • Destination Guides
    • Outdoor Adventure
    • Camping
    • National Parks
    • Culinary Travel
    • Wine Country
    • Road Trips
    • Hotels
  • Marketplace
  1. Sunset
  2. Home & Garden
  3. Garden Basics

Great Soil Hacks to Give Your Garden a Boost

Improve your garden soil without a compost heap

Lennie Larkin

As seasoned gardeners will tell you, good plants start with good soil. If you treat your garden soil right, and you learn how to build it and not abuse it, your plants will thank you for years to come. Conventional wisdom has pointed to compost as the key. But what about those of us without the time or space for a huge, hot compost heap in the garden? Here are two time-tested hacks to improve your garden soil when abundant compost isn’t an option.

Leaf Mold

Deep in the woods you’ll see wildflowers and mushrooms sprouting out of dark, rich soil covered in decomposing leaves. For ages, gardeners have learned to replicate this process in the garden. When leaves start to break down, they offer an infusion of organic matter to the soil below, allow the ground to hold more water, and invite a huge population of beneficial organisms to go to town on improving your soil. Even the most urban gardener can usually get her hands on some leaves. Rake from the yard or nearby park, scrounge in your neighbor’s green bin, or scout for big trees before they lose their leaves. Simply cart your found treasure back to the garden, scatter as thick a layer of leaves as you can manage, and wait for nature to take its course.

Cover Crop

There’s no better way to improve your garden soil than to add organic matter, and with a cover crop you can grow your own. Also referred to as “green manure,” cover crops are plants that you grow with the express purpose of feeding the soil. Depending on your location and the time of year, there are lots of different mixes to choose from. In the spring and summer, a quick buckwheat crop is a great option, while in the fall a more complex blend of nitrogen-fixing legumes mixed with cereal grains is a better bet. Whatever you choose, the process is the same. Simply sprinkle seeds on the soil surface, rake in a bit, and watch them grow. When the plants grow tall and just start to flower, cut them down and fork into the top foot of soil. They’ll break down within a few weeks and you’ll be ready to plant.

You May Like

Edible Gardening
How to Amend Soil
Garden Basics
Our Guide to No-Till Gardening
Green Living
How to Make the Perfect Compost
Garden Basics
Mulch Basics

Read More

Sign Up for our Newsletter

Get fresh recipes, wine pairings, weekend getaway ideas, regional gardening tips, home design inspiration, and more.

Subscribe & Save

Subscribe today for as little as $1.34 per issue!

Sign Up for our Newsletter

Get fresh recipes, wine pairings, weekend getaway ideas, regional gardening tips, home design inspiration, and more.
Sunset - real-estate-japan.info
Sunset
  • Food and Drink
  • Home and Garden
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Video
About
  • About Us
  • Events & Offers
  • Site Map
Contact
  • Advertising
  • Email the Editors
Copyright © 2018 Sunset Publishing Corporation. SUNSET is a registered trademark of Sunset Publishing Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. SUNSET may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.