SAN ANTONIO – Even though February might not scream gardening season, it’s the perfect time to prepare your spring garden for a vibrant bloom.
February is all about soil prep because healthy soil is the foundation for every successful garden.
Adding soil amendments four to six weeks before planting gives your plants the perfect environment to grow strong, healthy roots and establish themselves as strong, healthy plants.
What can you add to your existing soil to make it healthy?
Rainbow Gardens offers soil conditioners such as Landscaper’s Pride Soil Conditioner and FoxFarm Happy Frog Soil Conditioner. They also provide composts such as Landscaper’s Pride Mushroom Compost and Nature’s Creation Compost.
What about fertilizer?
It’s a question I hear often. In my opinion, if your soil is healthy and you regularly use organic compost or organic soil conditioner, you may not need it.
Most fertilizers can be synthetic, non-organic, and contain chemicals. With that being said, those chemicals could be harmful to you and our native bugs and wildlife.
You can instead add something like earthworm castings, which are natural fertilizers made from the waste of earthworms and provide lots of nutrients.
How do you add to your in-ground or raised beds?
Add two to three inches of compost or conditioner to existing or new beds after digging, tilling or clearing the space, spreading it out evenly.
You can do the same in raised beds. Apply this around your perennials at the roots to help them recover from the winter season and prepare for spring.
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