A Healthy Community Garden Plot Requires Healthy Soil - Part 3

III.    Amendments of Healthy Soil

Vegetables and edible herbs need good healthy soil. Soil that is hard, rocky, soggy, or nutrient-poor will only provide vegetables and herbs that are weak and spindly. For a 100 square foot community garden plot, the gardener should strive to dig or add in 1” of aged or composted organic matter bi-annually. The vegetables and herbs planted in an organic rich soft soil will be able to grow roots more deeply and soak up nutrients that will ensure you will have healthy and productive plants.

Various types of soil amendments exist that can help add the macro and micro nutrients to your organic garden such as:

• Composted Manure is aged for at least 6 months prior to using it in a vegetable garden. High in Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potassium and other micro nutrients, the mixture feeds plants, improves soil structure and aids in water retention. Soil bacteria found in composted humus and manure aid in the decomposition of leaf and other organic matter present in the soil; 
• Composted Humus is made up of decomposed plant material; the addition of plant humus to the organic vegetable garden improves soil structure by clumping soil particles. As organic material decays nutrients are released to help feed plants. Properly prepared hums compost can help to prevent and fight soil borne diseases that affect many plants.

Most organic fertilizers are made from combination of organic peat, animal bone meal, animal blood meal, and fish meal. Plant wastes from agriculture and sea weed, and lastly bio-solid sewage sludge. Be selective with what you use and do some research. Pay attention to the labeling and ensure the macro and micro nutrients listed are absolutely necessary for your garden and follow the directions closely.

A health community garden plot is made up of so much more then minerals and organic matter, water and air. Microscopic and other organisms; such as earthworms and insects, in your soil provide pathways for bacteria and fungi to reach clumps of matter that once broken down provide rich nutrients to the roots of your plants. In essence, a healthy soil is a living soil!

There are numerous products that can be added to the vegetable gardens that are organic based, vice chemical. Diligent gardeners look for products with the OMRI symbol or visit their website; www.omri.org for a list of items that have met the standards for the United States National Organic Program guidelines.

Lastly, soil testing in the community garden can be done with kits purchased from local shops, big box stores, and online. However, nothing compares to have a professional soil test done, these tests are performed in labs that not only give you a nutrient readout, but provide recommendations on how much of what material to add to make up for nutrients lacking in your garden. Please see the University of Maryland Educational Extension webpage at https://extension.umd.edu/ for a listing of soil labs in our regional area.


This ends our 3 part blog series in regards to "A Healthy Community Garden Plot Requires Healthy Soil".  We hope that you might have learned a bit about your "dirt" and become more interested in growing your own healthy, nutritious garden.