When people think about gardening, they usually think about seeds and plants, neglecting one of the most foundational aspects of all - The soil.

But whether from crop rotation, pesticides, or just a lack of care, your soil probably needs some extra love! Yes, that's right, dirt gets tired too! Soil needs human help to maintain its health.

If you want your garden to be healthy, you must give the soil the best, most nourishing food. Think of the soil as your garden's 'blood supply'. If it is healthy, all will be well.

Soil is like the earth's blood, carrying food, water, and air into the veins of plants through their roots. Plants need a neutral pH of around 7, nutrients to thrive, and will grow best in an optimal environment.

The key is to keep giving back to the soil so it will keep giving back to you!

Scroll to learn how you can make the best organic garden soil for vegetables so you can have increased germination rates and beautiful, bountiful harvests!

two critical aspects of soil

The best garden soil for vegetables will depend on two critical aspects:

• Fertility: The soil’s nutrient content.

• Structure: The layers and particles that make up the soil. The best soil for good drainage is that which will crumble in your hand but is not too sandy.  

The reality is that most soil is depleted of both fertility and good structure, and I want to help you change that.  

Ideally, you want to test your soil's pH levels. You can buy a kit at your local hardware store or contact your local county extension office to learn more.

To help your soil thrive, you will want to regularly add nutrients and materials that turn into humus, allowing it to drain easier (more crumbly), and add natural fertilizers like compost.

Below I will show you exactly how to improve your soil's fertility and structure for your plants to thrive and, in turn, pass along the nutrients from the soil to your body. 

The Secret Ingredients

To make the best garden soil for vegetables you have to supplement your soil with nutrient-rich substances, like kelp, ocean salt, molasses, and Alfalfa, which contains over 70 minerals, vitamins, and enzymes.

These ingredients have also been shown to:

• Stimulate soil bacteria and increase humus formation (aka decomposition of stuff into compost)

• Improve aeration and moisture retention

• Increase resistance to disease and pests

• Increase seed germination and food production 

• Allow for easier nutrient absorption

Over the years, Jared has developed a soil recipe that has always given us fantastic germination rates and healthy plants that produce delicious produce!

Scroll down to get the recipe for the best garden soil for vegetables!

The Best garden soil for Vegetables - recipe

This recipe has a very high 'brix' ratio. This means all the ingredients work optimally together to create the perfect soil mixture. This equates to higher germination, lower pest problems, and higher disease resistance. Yeah!

Super Soil Ingredients

Peat moss:

Peat Moss is ground-up trees that you can buy at most Home Depots. It makes up the bulk of your soil mixture and helps to manage the soil's pH levels, to aerate and lighten the soil, and to retain moisture. 

If you do not wish to use peat moss, coconut coir is another great, more eco-conscious option. Coco coir consists of everything in between the shell and the outer coating of the coconut seed and goes through numerous processes to make it usable for gardening. Coconut coir is also great for retaining moisture.

Worm (or other) Compost:

Worm poop feeds beneficial soil microorganisms that produce, store, and slowly release plant nutrients into your soil to feed plants. At first, we used worm manure, but now we are using our alpaca and donkey manure which works just as well. The key is to use manure from animals that are not being given antibiotics or hormones. You don't want these to end up in your food!

Gypsum:

Gypsum contains calcium that removes sodium, helps soil absorb water better, reduces erosion, and improves the soil structure. Gypsum is easy to find online or at your local hardware or garden store. 

Molasses:

Molasses is a great energy source that offers the soil calcium, magnesium, iron, potassium, and other micronutrients. It acts as a quick fertilizer for plants, and the sugar in molasses is a food source for beneficial microorganisms in the soil. Molasses can be found at any animal feed store.

Alfalfa:

Alfalfa offers many benefits. It helps build organic matter in your soil, providing nutrients to plant roots. Its high nitrogen content helps other organic materials to decompose. It prevents soil erosion and protects and improves the soil with its protective canopy, deep root system, and ability to fix atmospheric nitrogen. Alfalfa can be found at an animal feed store.

Kelp:

Kelp is from the ocean, providing all the wonderful nutrients, including nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus. It can also help germinate seeds quicker, encourage rooting, build immunity against diseases, add more color and flavor, produce more and larger buds and flowers, and fight off insects. It has been one of the best ingredients helping our soil and produce! 

BioChar:

BioChar is basically ashes that improve plant health by neutralizing acidity, providing improved nutrient and water retention (especially in sandy soils), and improving aeration and drainage for better soil structure.

now for the Recipe:

• 6 Qt. Peat Moss or Coconut Coir

• 18 Qt. Worm Compost

• 1/2 Qt. Gypsum

• 1/4 Qt. Molasses

• 2 Qt. Alfalfa

• 1/4 Qt. Kelp

• 1/2 Qt. BioChar

HOW TO USE:

1. Purchase all ingredients and mix them into the quantities labeled in the recipe.

2. Use this mixture as soil when starting seedlings in your seed trays.

3. Once you get ready to transplant your seedlings, put a little scoop into each hole in your garden where you already have extra soil.

4. Watch it work its magic!
   

This is enough to fill a small wheelbarrow or about 3 (5) gallon buckets to give you an idea of how much soil you will have. You can use this to start your seeds in little seed trays or add some under each plant you put into the ground.

Think of it like a superfood for your seeds and plants!

Read more: Seed staring basics

Soil boosters

Sure, you can use synthetic fertilizers to help supplement your crops and soil. They're easy to find and effective. But they can also damage your health, plants, and the environment.

Over time, the soil will also build a tolerance that will require more and more of the substance until it becomes inhabitable for your fruits and vegetables. 

Why not try something more natural and eco-friendly? Like compost, nature's fertilizing powerhouse, which is much simpler and comes chemical-free and cost-free too!

Composting

Soil needs certain supplements like air, water, nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium for healthy plants, and compost can aid in this. Compost provides benefits to different parts of your plants:

• Nitrogen: The green machine that helps with foliage.

• Phosphorous: Promotes root and flower growth. 

• Potassium: Like vitamin C for people, that provides powerful immunity.

Quick n' Easy Compost Recipe:

Compost is an easy recipe of just two ingredients (or colors):

• Brown: leaves, newspaper, or wood (small pieces like twigs)

• Green: high-nitrogen material like fruits, veggies, grass clippings, or weeds.

Avoid meat scraps, bones, fat, oils, bread, glossy magazines, diseased plants, and feces from cats and dogs.

Directions:

1. Mix in equal layers.

2. Keep it damp (but not wet!)

3. Turn often to quicken the process.

4. Once it starts looking like soil, you'll know it's done. Sprinkle it around your plants like a nutritional dirt dessert!

Add these to your compost periodically throughout the growing season to enhance the health of the soil and plants.

Read more: A Beginner's guide on how to use compost in the garden

Manure

Another excellent ingredient to help your soil and plant growth is manure, ideally from animals that weren't fed hormones or antibiotics. And by animals, we don't just mean cows and sheep. We like using alpaca and chicken poop!

Manures are a rich source of nitrogen as well as other nutrients.

Just remember to allow the manure to compost fully for at least 6 months or longer. You could add it raw, but it will be best to till it into the soil at least a season prior to planting so it does not burn your plants.

Here at Azure Farm, we have a large compost pile, mainly compiled from alpaca manure. Alpaca manure is one of the only ones to decompose quickly and not hurt plants, even when applied directly. 

Sea-90

Although very effective, SEA-90 is something you need to be VERY careful with. This is basically sea salt.

Sea-90’s mineral nutrients feed soil microbiology, enzymes, and fungi to create a more productive soil matrix. It also helps to unlock existing fertilizer nutrients and make them more available to pastures, plants, and crops.

You want to put a tablespoon of this into a 5-gallon bucket and fill it with water. Then water your plants with this mixture maybe 2-3 times during the plant's growth and only when it is in the garden or pot, not for seedlings.

To be honest, I know this is a key component, but I have messed up and even ruined some plots in my garden in the past because of adding too much' salt' to the soil. So you may want to have a plant or two in pots that you experiment with this. 

Read more: How to fertilize your garden

Don't leave the ground naked

Ever wonder how plants in the woods grow so well without human help? Leaves fall from the trees, creating a nice natural blanket of compost that helps maintain structure and provides nutrients and fertilization.  This is called mulching.

 Mulching has many benefits, including:

• It regulates soil temperature and keeps in moisture, helping to water less often.

• Mulching protects the soil from natural elements such as the sun, wind, and frost during the winter months.

• They keep weeds to a minimum. Since the weeds do not get enough sunlight, it makes it more difficult to grow and spread,.

• Organic mulch helps to enrich your soil with nutrients as it decomposes, creating natural compost.

• Mulch can help to prevent soil erosion caused by heavy rain floods, or in the case of sloping gardens.

   

Like a tree, replicate this method in your garden with a 3-6" layer of mulch, compost, or leaves.

Some mulching options include:

• Grass Clippings - Use your cut grass clippings as nitrogen-rich mulch for your vegetable gardens.

• Wood chips or bark - Buy wood chips at your local garden center or ask at a local tree care company for any leftover chips.

• Shredded leaves -Shredded leaves are also an easy-to-come-by, nutrient-rich mulch.

• Compost - Use your leftover compost to lay a thin layer around your plants. Compost can dry out fairly quickly, so cover it with a second layer of mulch to allow the compost to stay moisturized and biologically active.

• Straw & hay - Great for use in your vegetable gardens. It returns moisture to the soil, prevents weeds from taking over, and adds organic matter. Make sure you get weed- and seed-free hay.

Whether you only grow in a pot or two or have a whole garden, it is all the same - give back, and the soil will give back to you.

I believe what we learn in the garden is the great principle of life: 'Don't be selfish.' If we build up and nourish the soil, we will get a tremendous blessing in return!

I hope this organic soil recipe will bring you endless, beautiful produce!

Love, Annette xx

Read more: What we are planting in 2023 and all your gardening questions answered

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