Outdoor Therapy: Diggin in the Dirt
/One of my favorite past times is being out in my gardens. I find a sense of contentment and lose the need to rush. I can spend hours on the weekend watering, harvesting, weeding and not feel like I worked for a moment. I would still consider myself pretty new to gardening and landscaping scene, but over the last 4-5 years I definitely learned a lot. The first year felt overwhelming and I had no idea if anything would grow. The subsequent years, I remembered what worked, what didn’t, and would ask anyone else that had a garden what they did. Now, each March I get excited, not overwhelmed, to start digging the dirt. I want to share with you what I have learned so you too can get excited about gardening and capitalize on the extra outdoor therapy it provides.
Today we are focusing on prepping the soil. Prepping can be done either in the fall or early spring.
FALL:
The nice thing about prepping soil in the fall is that nature provides a lot of the materials we will use.
Leave the roots: Pull the easy plants, leave the rest. The part of the root system that's left behind will feed beneficial microbes, whose digestive efforts produce humus. Humus not only helps keep soil moist and aerated, but also assists plants in getting the nutrients they need to flourish. If the plant is diseased you must pull it entirely.
Add compost: Its super simple the start your own compost pile and in a few months you will have highly nutritious and biodegradable soil enhancer. Apply 2-3 inches of compost and gently stir it into the soil with a pitchfork.
Add manure: The best manure to use is cow or horse. This step can be used on top of your compost or, if you do not have a compost pile, use it in place of compost.
Fertilizer: Use a fertilizer if you do not have compost or do not want to use manure.
Cover with leaves: No matter what form of compost or fertilizer you've put on the garden, cover it with a layer of fall leaves that you've chopped up with the mower. This is a great way to insulate the soil and encourage worms to stay active longer into the season.
Cover crops or tarp: Plant a cover crop such as clover, red wheat, cereal or annual rye, or alfalfa. Any of these crops will pull nutrients up from the subsoil, remove excess water, and (when you turn them under in the spring), return nitrogen and organic matter to the soil. Another option would be to place a tarp over the garden. This helps protect the ground from the elements.
SPRING:
Sometimes fall can be busy with harvesting and canning everything the garden produced and the time to prep the soil passes by. No worries. Here are a few ways to prep the soil in spring.
If you used a cover crop or leaves in fall: Hardy types of green manure which were planted in the fall can be dug into the ground in early spring. This will give them time to decompose before you start sowing and planting.
Mulch: This is a must in early spring and has multiple benefits, including adding nutrients to the soil as it decomposes, and preventing weeds from taking hold. Add a generous layer of well-rotted compost or manure to help improve soil structure.
Add chicken manure: Another way to improve the fertility of your soil is by adding chicken manure pellets – an all-round fertilizer that contains a good level of nutrients. Whether you use mulch or manure, add this at least a few weeks prior to planting so it has times breakdown and becomes a part of the soil.
Start weeding: With the weather warming up, weeds can quickly begin to sprout. Stopping them in their tracks as soon as you spot them will make maintenance much easier in the long run.
Prepping is step one to maintaining a lush and bountiful garden or landscaping. The work you put in beforehand will decrease the time you need to manage your outdoors and increase the time to enjoy its beauty.
I’d love to hear what you are planning this spring and answer any questions you may have. You can reach me at info@katieschlieppwellness.com or through social media at @shaktishivawellness.
