Have you spent a lot of time planning your summer garden, but your plants still struggled in the heat? I know I have. For years, I was mostly interested in choosing flowers, herbs and vegetables that would make my yard look nice. It was when the flowers lost their color and the leaves turned yellow that I realized. It wasn’t the plants that mattered, but the soil.
If you’re also puzzled by why your summer garden isn’t doing well, despite your best efforts, I know how that feels. This article covers what I found out about the role of soil health in summer gardening. You’ll get easy-to-follow tips, tricks and simple changes that really worked in my garden this year.
Why the Health of Your Soil is Important for a Successful Summer Garden
The part I didn’t anticipate: A healthy garden needs good soil, not only water and sunlight. I thought soil was just dirt that I could put plants into and hope they’d grow. However, when I began to care about soil health, I saw results happen fast and it was very exciting.
It is true that the health of your soil supports your entire garden. It nourishes your plants, holds in moisture and gives your plants’ roots a healthy place to grow. Even if you give your plants lots of sunlight and water, they won’t do well without soil.
What does healthy soil look like? It needs to be well-drained, have lots of helpful microorganisms and organic matter and be loose. You’ll see you’ve done well when your plants continue to thrive even when the weather is very hot.
How Soil Affects Plant Growth
You may not notice, but soil is the key to any successful garden. Think of it like the stage for your plants’ performance. Having healthy soil lets them reach the nutrients they require such as nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, for their growth.
If the soil is too tightly packed, roots can’t spread and take in the nutrients. If your soil is well-aerated and balanced, your plants will develop faster, become stronger and resist more.
Improving My Soil: How I Made My Garden’s Foundation Better
The whole thing began when I thought I’d find soil improvement boring. At first, it seemed overwhelming. Because there were so many recommendations and soil additives, I didn’t know which one to try first. As soon as I grasped the basics, the whole thing made sense.
The first thing I did was check the pH of the soil. I found out that some plants do best in acidic soil, but others require more alkaline soil. Having the pH testing kit made it easy to adjust the soil, so my plants were in the best conditions.
I then started adding compost and organic matter into the soil. Composting your soil provides food for your plants and also helps the soil hold water and stay structured throughout the hot summer months.
Simple Steps That Worked for Me
These are the major things I did that made a big impact in my garden:
- It’s simple to check the pH of your soil and you can buy a kit for a low price at your local garden shop or online.
- I used homemade compost, but if you don’t have that, you can get organic soil amendments from any gardening store.
- When you aerate the soil, you help it become less dense which improves both root growth and the ability of the soil to absorb water.
Some Soil Problems and Solutions
This is where it all shifted for me. I found that addressing common soil issues was essential to achieving good results in my summer garden. It’s not necessary to be a professional gardener; I have found that you can fix most common soil problems with a bit of effort.
1. Compacted Soil
Plants’ roots can’t grow properly in soil that is too compacted. I used a garden fork to loosen up the soil in places where water didn’t drain well. Things didn’t improve right away, but after some time, I noticed the roots were able to spread much better.
2. Poor Drainage
Because my garden would flood after heavy rains, the roots of my plants became rotten. I improved drainage by adding both organic matter and sand to the soil. Now, the water drains better, so my plants don’t get sick after it rains.
3. Low Nutrient Levels
When your plants look stunted or yellow, it might be because the soil doesn’t have enough nutrients. I began fertilizing my garden with slow-release fertilizer and more compost and I saw my plants get healthier.
What I Tried When My Plants Wouldn’t Grow
There were times when I thought my garden wouldn’t make it, even after all I had done. Even so, I kept going and soon my flowers appeared and my vegetables became healthy. The main thing was to keep trying and go back to the soil. When your soil is healthy, your plants are more likely to thrive, even when it’s very hot outside.
How to Keep Soil Health in Mind While You Garden in Summer
With the basics of soil health understood, I needed to work out how to use it in my regular gardening activities. It’s not finished — it continues and I learned that making a few easy changes can make a big difference.
1. Regularly Check Soil Moisture
Because the soil dries out quickly when it’s hot, I started checking it more frequently. I realized that mulching helped the soil keep its moisture which made a real difference during the summer heat.
2. Mulch for Moisture and Temperature Control
I’ve talked about this before, but mulch has made a huge difference in my garden. It keeps the ground cooler on hot days, stops water from evaporating and returns nutrients to the soil as it breaks down.
3. Compost Regularly
Composting has become a regular habit for me. It helps me waste less and provides my plants with the nutrients they need all the time. Compost is full of important nutrients for your soil and it’s easy to use all year to keep your garden looking green.
If you’re thinking about giving your soil a fresh start for the season, pin this post.
If you’re planning to garden this summer, start by checking the health of your soil. Using this easy method for soil care has changed things for me and I think it will help you as well. Make simple changes to your garden first and you’ll soon notice it thriving more than ever.
The Biggest Lesson I Learned About Soil Health
I’d like to end by saying that no one approach works for all soil types. Each garden is unique and things that help one person may not help another. What I’ve found is that if you focus on the health of your soil, your plants will thank you with much better results.
It’s not just about adding compost or fertilizer. It’s important to know your garden, the soil and what helps it thrive. When you realize that everything above the soil depends on it, your gardening will improve.
Conclusion
I didn’t know how important soil was to my garden until I started noticing it. After that, I have noticed that my summer garden is healthier and grows better. Having a healthy garden all summer depends on making sure your soil is healthy.
Pin this if you’re planning your next seasonal soil reset, and start your journey to healthier soil today!
What’s the one little thing you did in your garden that made a big difference? Share your thoughts in the comments!
