Try These Easy Tips for Better Organic Soil

We are in a sense controlled by the type of soil in the area that we live. If the pH is too high or too low we are forced to face the fact that some crops will never successfully grow in our area. But if you truly treat your soil as a living being, you?ll see that you actually do have some control over your soil. Beyond using your homemade compost, there are many steps that you can take to improve your ground situation. According to Mother Earth News, here are some very easy to follow tips toward improving your soil situation.

1. As I said above, the key is to treat the soil like a living being. You want to cultivate that web of life in the soil that keeps it vibrant. The best way to do that is to limit your amount of tilling and mulch instead. Topping the soil with mulch or fresh compost adds to the life in the ground rather than disturbing it.

2. Add manures for nitrogen. All livestock manures can be valuable additions to soil because their nutrients are readily available to soil organisms and plants. After applying the manure to your crops you should allow at least three months before harvesting them. Especially root vegetables and spinach to guard against any contamination. Nitrogen is another important component in the soil and it can be attained completely naturally.

3. Respect the underworld with cover crops. Cover crops help to keep the soil moist even when the weather gets really warm. Clover is a great choice and grows well even in the deep south. You can also try a living mulch. A living mulch is a cover crop that is interplanted with an annual or perennial crop. Living mulches suppress weeds, reduce soil erosion, enhance soil fertility, and improve water infiltration. Examples of living mulches include sweetclover and rye grass.