Preparing Garden Soil for Planting
Good garden soil is not always easy to find and most gardeners have to prepare the garden soil for planting by improving on one or more conditions of their garden soil. If there is a slight imbalance in the soil, you can use organic fertilizers because typically they will contain a lower percentage of nutrients that are slowly released into your garden soil. 
Organic fertilizers do not work very well if you find the imbalance of nutrients of your soil is dramatic or if you are looking for fast results, this is where inorganic fertilizers are better choice. Garden fertilizers typically come in a combination of three major nutrients, nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium (NKP) and will be listed by the percentage of each on the container.
If you find your soil is deficient in a single nutrient you can buy these individually. Good garden soil management is a blend of fertilizer and manure that will greatly improve the quality and texture of the garden soil. Rotation of your soil is also used to prevent the invasion of pests and diseases, it will also allow you to return nutrients back into the soil.
Understanding and improving your garden soil
To get the most benefit from your garden soil mix, you must first understand what is in your soil and its structure before you can improve and enrich your garden soil. The first two levels of gardening soil are the gardeners most concern “topsoil”,”subsoil”. 
The top soil level is the biologically active area, in this part of the soil you will find millions of bacteria, insects, fungi, worms and microorganisms. Dark in color and can be found up to a depth of 2 inches in chalky soils, or 3 feet are more in other soil types.
The next layer of soil that is below the topsoil is known as the subsoil and can be recognized by its paler color because of the soil having very little organic matter. Subsoil can also be distinguished by orange and yellow flecks of iron oxide that are blended into the deeper soil.
Determine your garden soil type
The best starting point is to identify the structure and nature of your garden soil whether it's Sandy, Clay, silt or regular loam. If you want to have beautiful plants with dramatic growth then this is the one factor that will have a significant effect.
Since this is the start of how to improve soil for gardening, you first have to categorize your soil to find out what type of soil you are dealing with. Once you have determined what type of garden soil that you are working with there are various methods that you will be able to use to help improve your soil structure, allowing you to create a healthy environment that will allow plants to flourish.
What type of texture is your garden soil?
Methods of determining soil texture is a combination of different types of soil particles sand, silt, and Clay and the percentages they are in your garden soil composition. Particles of sand may be as large as 1/12 inch, whereas compared to the clay particles of the soil they may be as tiny as 1/12,500 inch. In saying that you will find that most types of garden soil is a mixture of particle sizes and so the soil texture classification would be by the dominant material. An ideal garden soil would be loam soil as it is a combination of both sand, silt and clay.
The best starting point is to test and find the texture of your soil, because adding different ingredients and changing any variations of your soil will have a direct impact on your soils make up and drainage capabilities. Grab a handful of soil from the garden and rub it between your thumb and fingers and this will allow you to determine the characteristics of the soil.
Improving garden soil texture can be done with the addition of “soil conditioners”. The top choice and most commonly used soil conditioners are well rotted cow manure, leaf mold, peat moss and compost. Compost can be bought or you can make your own compost.Ingredients that can be added to the conditioners are perlite,vermiculit and the mixture of course builders sand.
Garden Soil Types:
- Clay Soil:
Garden soil that is more clay-based is a heavy, sticky soil which can be rolled into shapes. Garden soil that has a high clay characteristic typically will suffer from poor drainage but has ample amount of rich plant food. To Improve the quality of a clay soil you will need to open up the soil with a shovel or spade and work in some good maneuver, compost with some gravel and if needed lime to help control pH balance of the soil.
- Sandy soil:
Sandy garden soil is typically a dry texture and is light in color. The Sandy soil is free draining and tends not to hold back any water or moisture. Because of its light and dry texture Sandy garden soil usually lacks in essential nutrients and requires frequent watering. To improve a Sandy soil condition you want to remove large stones and add fertilizer and manure to help build a better soil texture and overall structure.
- Silty soil:
Silty garden soil is a very fertile type of soil as it is usually made up of small fine ill regular particles. Because of the fine pore particles of the soil water will flow more slowly as it passes through providing poor drainage. Silty soil particles are a little bit bigger than the clay particles and provide better draining than the clay.Overall the silty garden soil will be more fertile and a better garden soil choice compared to the Sandy or clayey soils.
To help improve the silty soil you want to add at least 1 inch of organic matter at the beginning of each season. Provide a heavier concentration to the topsoil which will help stop any surface cresting. Because silty soil will compact easily you should try avoid tilling or walking unnecessarily in your flower bed or garden. Constructing raised garden bed would be very beneficial for this type of soil.
Soil PH Levels and How They Affect Garden Soil
Garden soil pH levels in your garden soil indicates whether it's a acidity or alkalinity type of soil. By doing a pH test of your soil you will be able to measure the hydrogen and hydroxyl levels in the soil. PH leveling scale from 0 to 14, anything above 7 is alkaline and below 7 is acidic, whereas a neutral soil reading is 7.
A pH level reading of 6.5 is ideal, as you will find that most plants will thrive really well in a slightly acidic soil. If you find that your soil is too acidic, it usually means it is lacking in phosphorus. To correct this imbalance and drop the acidic level of your soil you can use lime and spread evenly on the surface of the soil, then tilled into the soil and this will help raise the pH level of the acidic soil. If you want to raise the acidic content level of your soil, add ground sulfur.
If you are working on the pH level of your soil it is better to apply it in the fall as it may take several months to adjust the pH level of the soil. To get the most accurate pH level testing from your soil is recommended that spring and fall are the best time to take samples as the soil is more stable at this time. Take samples from multiple areas in your garden.
Fertilizer and Manure Benefits for the Garden
Applying fertilizer and manure applications are a big part of garden soil preparation and is one of the first things that should be done for any type of planting. When planting vegetables, flowers you want to help the plants sustain and flourish and from the start most garden soil will need a certain amount of improvement.
Top nutrients for plant growth and improvement are nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium which are commonly available in both fertilizers and maneuvers. You can purchase a pre-formulated fertilizer which will contain all three for a general fertilizer (NKP).
In a lot of regions were you will see plants that are well-established and mature nitrogen fertilizer is better applied in early spring rather than late fall. New soft growth of the garden plants may be damaged or injured by frost freezing if fertilizer is applied too late in the season.
Bulky Organic Manure Nutrients for Garden Soil
By adding quantities of different types of bulky organic manure will provide nutrients and fiber for Garden soil, as well as improving water content benefits. Green vegetation and maneuvers that are blended with animal content will instantly inject nutrients but very little fiber.
Woody and fibrous types of organic manure will allow heavy soils to open up more and will benefit lighter garden soils by improving moisture retention. The long-term benefits of bulky organic manure in your garden soil will start to occur as the matter starts to decompose, contributing to the formation of humus. Humus will then start to naturally absorb other nutrients that are applied.
Fertilizers for the garden soil
Garden fertilizers can be used as base dressings. Garden soil preparation of fertilizer or bulky organic matter is mixed into the garden soil surface before planting or seed sowing has begun. Garden fertilizers can also be introduced into the soil as a top dressing.
Fertilizer or bulky organic matter can be applied to the topsoil and spread around the base of the plant once it has been planted. Fast action fertilizers are easier to control and will provide your plant with a quick boost of nutrients. Slow-release fertilizer pellets for flowering plants, potted, indoor are far less time-consuming.
Green manure for Garden soil fertility
Instead of using compost and manure, green manure known as (cover crops) is made from plants that are grown to help add nutrients and natural organic matter for healthy soil. Growing plants that you can dig up and incorporate into the soil provides a natural fertilizer for your plants. Green manure plants should be planted in the fall and allowed to grow up to around 8 inches and then dug up and mixed into the soil. 
Green manure your mix will give back more to the ground soil than it has taken out to grow, eventually the Green manure will form humus within the soil. When choosing Greenman your plants you want to look for a rapid growth rate that matures quickly, such as ligumes. Buying specialized Green manure seeds will provide you with the best fall green manure for your garden.
Proper soil preparation will protect your investment
Although garden soil preparation may be an extensive job, all the effort and time that you put in for pre-treatment for your garden, flower bed is all well spent. Trees, bushes, shrubs and all your perennials are your landscapes long-term investment.
By using proper soil preparation methods you will have many years of beautiful growth and flowering and very little need for additional soil improvement. Without quality garden soil preparation and management, you will risk the investment that you have put into your plants.
Top Choice Gardening Products
