My Best Gardening Tip

Photo by John Cappadonna

By John Cappadonna – Permian Basin Master Gardener

If I could only give you one gardening tip, what would it be? There are so many gardening hacks out there that it can be bewildering. There are really no silver bullets, but the most important thing you can do to improve your vegetable gardening experience is to improve your soil. The best way to improve your soil is with compost. Compost provides organic matter to the soil, which feeds the microorganisms that produce the nutrients plants need and improves the soil structure. The microorganisms, mostly bacteria, fungi, and nematodes, break down organic material, enabling them to grow and reproduce. The nutrients plants use are contained in their bodies. When they die of natural causes or are consumed by larger organisms like protists, insects, and earthworms and expelled as waste, the nutrients are released into the soil. The nutrients include nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, iron, magnesium, and many others. In all, there are about seventeen nutrients that plants need to thrive. All but one are taken up from the soil. Carbon Dioxide, or CO2, is absorbed from the atmosphere.

What makes compost so much better than chemical fertilizers is that the microorganisms that furnish the nutrients live and reproduce in fertile soil. Fertile soil contains billions of microorganisms in a single tablespoon of soil. These organisms are in the soil all the time, so they are nature’s perfect time-release fertilizer! Plants and organisms must have water and oxygen to live and reproduce. The plants take up nutrients dissolved in water, so of course, water is essential. Chemical fertilizers are also dissolved in water, but unlike the microorganisms, they go where the water goes, so as the water drains away, so do the chemical fertilizers. The compost, along with the billions of microorganisms, stays in the topsoil, and so they are available all the time.

Where do you get compost? You can buy it as bagged soil amendments, such as composted cattle manure or composted cotton burrs. The other option is to make your own. You can use yard and kitchen waste to produce compost. I use the fallen leaves from my trees, collected in the summer, and bagged alfalfa pellets to produce large quantities of compost. Once your soil is fertile, you just need to add a little compost or fertilizer each year to maintain it. It is possible, after years of adding compost for phosphorus, to build up to undesirable levels, so it is wise to have your soil tested from time to time. Texas A&M soil laboratory can perform these soil tests. You can pick up soil test sample bags and instructions at your local Extension office. The soil lab will make recommendations on fertilizers. For example, in my raised beds, all I need to do is add a little nitrogen in the form of bloodmeal to maintain the nitrogen levels.

Good soil produces healthy, robust plants that are much more resistant to disease, weeds, and insects, and produce more fruits and vegetables. So always remember: “Good soil equals a Good Garden!”

If you have questions, call the AgriLife office in Odessa at 498-4071 or in Midland at 686-4700.   Additional information and our blog for access to past articles are available at westtexasgardening.org.  Click on “Resources.”