Preparing Soil For A Vegetable Garden
By
Kum Martin
Considering the importance of soil in plant growth, one needs to ascertain the characteristics of soil that is being used for the purpose of growing plants in a vegetable garden.
Properties of soil including the nutrient levels can be determined by getting the soil tested in a registered environmental laboratory.
The soil test results will determine whether there are any deficiencies in the necessary nutrients that are required for proper growth of plants. However, one needs to inform the laboratory that the soil sample has been collected for a vegetable garden plot.
The parameters that are commonly tested in a soil include the pH of the soil, its alkalinity, nitrogen content, phosphorus content, concentration of sulfur and also potassium.
Most vegetable plants thrive well in soils whose pH ranges between 5.5 and 7.5. Determining the pH of soil is important because pH has significant effect on the availability of nutrients and water.
A soil type can be termed as “good” only if the phosphorus and potassium levels are indicated as “high” in the test results. Micronutrient levels are also tested on request. However, these tests are done only under certain special circumstances.
Nitrogen and nitrate levels fluctuate regularly in all types of soils. This is primarily due to inter-conversion of nitrogen to nitrate due to organisms present in the soil. This nitrate is leached out into the environment during rainfall.
Depending on the nutrient levels and pH of the soil, experts at the testing center usually make recommendations that include types of plants to be planted, type and amount of fertilizer to be used and ways to improve the pH of the soil.
All these recommendations should be taken into consideration while creating a vegetable garden.