A Beginner's Guide to Gardening: Site and Soil Prep

Starting Your Garden: Choosing the Right Location and Preparing Your Soil

Embarking on your gardening journey is an exciting endeavor! The foundation of a thriving garden lies in selecting the optimal location and ensuring your soil is well-prepared. Here's a comprehensive guide to help you get started:​

🌞 Selecting the Ideal Garden Location

For most vegetables, a minimum of 6–8 hours of direct sunlight daily is essential. Position your garden on the south side of tall structures like homes or fences to maximize sun exposure, especially during the shorter days of winter.

If you are in the southern states, keep in mind that almost every vegetable will appreciate some afternoon sun during the long days of summer; 14 hours of full sun is more than they need, and the excessive heat will stress them. Light shade from nearby trees, or a shade cloth will ensure your plants stay happy and productive.

Key considerations:

• Accessibility: Place your garden near your home or frequently visited areas to encourage regular maintenance .​

• Water Source: Ensure easy access to water, whether through a hose, rain barrel, or irrigation system .​

• Drainage: Avoid areas where water tends to pool. If your soil is heavy or compacted, consider using raised beds to improve drainage.​ Raised beds do not necessarily need to be a box; simply mounding the soil into 30 inch wide beds will allow heavy soils to drain more efficiently.

  
  

  

  
  
  
  

🧪 Testing Your Soil: The Mason Jar Method

Understanding your soil's texture is crucial for determining its drainage and nutrient-holding capacity. The Mason Jar Soil Test is a simple way to assess this

1. Fill a clear jar one-third full with soil from your garden

2. Add water until the jar is nearly full, then add a teaspoon of non-foaming dish soap.​

3. Secure the lid and shake vigorously for several minutes.​

4. Let the jar sit undisturbed for 24–48 hours.​

5. Observe the layers that form: sand settles at the bottom, followed by silt, with clay on top.

6. Estimate the percentages of sand, silt and clay that make up your soil.

🧪Determining your soil type

1. Once you determine the percentages of sand, silt, and clay in your soil, transfer that information to this rather complicated-looking graph to determine your soil type. (here is a great video by the School of Permaculture explaining exactly how to do that.​) You can download the graph to make this easier.

2. The results of this graph will inform the types of amendments your soil will need for your garden.

Improving your soil's texture:

The ideal soil type for most gardening is "Loam." If you have this, congratulations! For those who are not so lucky, read on.

🌱 Soil Texture & Amendment Guide

Soil Texture	Characteristics	Recommended Amendments
Sand	Large particles, drains quickly, low nutrients	Compost, aged manure, biochar, worm castings, peat moss or coconut coir for moisture retention
Loamy Sand	Still fast-draining, slightly more structure	Compost, humus-rich materials, kelp meal, rock phosphate for added minerals
Sandy Loam	Good drainage, low in organic matter	Compost, green manure crops, fish emulsion, gypsum if compaction is present
Loam	Ideal texture: good drainage and fertility	Maintain with seasonal compost, cover crops, and occasional rock dust or sea minerals
Silt Loam	Smooth texture, holds water well, prone to compaction	Compost, gypsum, leaf mold, and organic mulch to improve aeration
Silty Clay Loam	High water retention, can be heavy and slow to drain	Compost, peat moor or coconut coir, aged bark, gypsum, avoid overworking when wet
Clay Loam	Fertile, slow-draining, sticky when wet	Compost, gypsum, rice hulls or perlite, peat moor or coconut coir, deep-rooting cover crops like daikon radish
Clay	Tiny particles, poor drainage, compacts easily	Compost, gypsum, biochar, coarse sand (in moderation), mycorrhizal fungi for structure

Pro Tip: Soils that are overwhelmingly clay, sand, or silt require a great deal of amending, and may be cost prohibitive. Consider raised beds on top of these soil types.

🌿 Preparing Your Garden Beds

Removing Grass and Weeds:

• Manual Removal: Use a shovel or sod cutter to remove grass and weeds from your garden area.​

• Sheet Mulching: Lay down cardboard or newspaper over the area to smother existing vegetation. Cover with compost and mulch to create a nutrient-rich bed over time.

• Occultation: Cover area with heavy black plastic for three to six months. While this requires planning ahead, it is the most effective way to remove tenacious grasses such as Bermuda.

Soil Amendment:

• Test for macro-nutrients

  • Once your soil has been appropriately amended for texture, you will need to test for NPK (Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium) These are the three primary nutrients plants need to grow, flower, and fruit. If any are lacking, you will need to amend with an appropriate ( and preferably organic) fertilizer or mineral.

• Compost: Incorporate 2–3 inches of organic compost into your soil to enhance fertility and structure .​

• Aged Manure: Adding well-rotted manure can provide essential nutrients and improve soil texture.​

• Avoid Over-Tilling: Excessive tilling can disrupt soil structure and microbial life. Consider minimal disturbance methods to maintain soil health.​ While initial tilling is often necessary, once beds are established, shallow cultivation of about 2-3 inches deep is all that is needed. To loosen compacted soils, use a broadfork, or a "drilling" cover crop like Daikon Radish.

While all this seems like a whole lot of work, the success of any garden starts with the soil. However, this careful preparation will ensure your gardening success! In the next installment of the Beginner's Gardening Guide, we will discuss some easy-to-grow vegetables, the difference between hybrid and heirloom seeds, how to start your seedlings and more. To make sure you don't miss out, subscribe to our newsletter!