Key Points
Most soils will support growing vegetables if you add a bit of compost and a little TLC.
The best soil for growing veggies is rich, well-draining, and moisture retentive.
Adding compost and testing your soil regularly are the best ways to keep garden beds healthy over time.
A healthy and productive vegetable garden begins with healthy soil. But what exactly makes soil ideal for growing veggies? And is there one perfect soil mixture that’s sure to yield the best vegetable harvests?
In this guide, plant pros share what soil to use for vegetable garden beds to produce the biggest harvests and how to make sure your soil is just right for any plant you want to grow.
Meet the Expert
Andrew Miano is the senior horticulturist at Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Company.
Doug Mulleris the co-founder and managing director of Hudson Valley Seed Company.
Aaron Steilis the consumer horticulture extension specialist at Iowa State University.
The Best Kind of Soil for Vegetable Gardens
Credit: The Spruce / Steven Merkel
While some garden soils are naturally better for supporting vegetable growth than others, experts agree that you can make pretty much any soil ideal with a bit of care, attention, and know-how.
“If you have soil that’s too sandy, you can add organic matter to reduce watering or add more organic matter to heavy clay soil so it drains better,” says Andrew Miano of Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Company. “The big thing is organic matter—compost can be added to almost soil to improve it.”
Aaron Steil of Iowa State University agrees and emphasizes the importance of enhancing soil quality over time.
“Vegetables grow best in fertile, well-drained soils and gardeners can take steps each year to build and maintain quality soil for their vegetable gardens,” he says.
““In my mind, it’s more about building good soil than finding quality soil and bringing it in,” Steil says.”
That said, Steil does offer some tips for gardeners who need to purchase soil for raised beds or container gardens.
“It should be light and well-draining,” he says. “An excellent soil mix can be prepared by blending equal parts topsoil, organic matter like well-rotted manure or compost, and coarse sand.”
Steil also recommends mixing 70% topsoil with 30% compost for a decent starting place.
Important Properties of Good Soil for Vegetables
Credit: The Spruce / Jayme Burrows
Whether you’re building a new garden or rehabilitating an old one, checking your soil for these important characteristics can help you judge if your soil needs a little TLC or if it’s just right as-is.
Nutrient Rich
“Soil needs to have adequate levels of three key nutrients for plants—nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus—as well as an array of micronutrients,” says Doug Muller of Hudson Valley Seed Company.
Testing your soil before your start planting and adding compost and other amendments if needed is the best way to improve nutrient poor soils so they can support plant life better.
Well-Draining and Moisture Retentive
“Many crops prefer a condition that’s fairly rare in nature: soil that drains freely but stays consistently moist,” Muller says. “This is especially true for onions since they evolved on riverbanks.”Adding organic matter like compost is the fastest way to improve drainage and water retention.
Correct pH
“Good garden soil has a relatively neutral pH, which can be achieved by applying powdered limestone to acidic soils or by applying elemental sulfur to alkaline soils,” Muller says.
If you’re in doubt about the soil pH of your garden, testing your soil with a home test is wise.
Balanced
Compost benefits most gardens, but it’s important to add amendments of any sort in moderation to keep soils balanced.
“If you apply too much manure, or even too much compost over time, you may find that your phosphorus levels are too high, and it might not be the healthiest environment for your plants,” Miano says.
5 Tips for Growing Veggies
Credit: The Spruce / Jayme Burrows
“[Healthy soil] should be well-draining, with abundant organic matter, and ready access to water,” Muller says.
However, if you want to make sure your garden stays as productive as possible, these simple tips will help enhance and maintain the health of any soil so it can support bigger and better veggie harvests every year.
Test Your Soil
This should be one of your first steps when considering improving or changing your soil.
“Tests will give you information on basic soil fertility, pH, and organic matter percentage and typically include recommendations on how to improve soil if needed,” Steil says.
Go Slow
Adding compost or any other soil amendments should be done little by little to avoid overwhelming your garden or your plants.
“Start off with a few inches of compost, incorporate it into your native soil and beds, and watch how your plants react,” Miano says.
Add Compost Annually
An annual application of compost in spring or fall refreshes the health and nutrient load of garden beds and improves soil structure over time. Miano recommends making your own compost or purchasing it locally whenever possible.
“Compost is probably one of the best friends for a gardener,” Miano says. “But making it yourself, knowing what inputs are in it, is always a good idea.”
Dig Deep
Different plants have different root systems and it’s important to provide the right soil depth for the types of plants you want to grow by either tilling soil or building raised beds to the proper height.
Just keep in mind that plants with tap roots or extensive root systems, like carrots or tomatoes, may need over one foot of worked soil to grow properly.
Work With Nature
Adding natural amendments like compost builds soil health, supports the microbes and other beneficial organisms that help plants grow better, and is key for keeping gardens healthy through the changing seasons.
“Soil is alive and complex and the system is constantly changing,” Steil says. “Building good soil is an ongoing process that requires consistent effort to promote healthy, productive plant growth.”
Read the original article on The Spruce
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