If you're planning a new bed for perennials, groundcovers, shrubs or trees to plant next spring, the path to success starts with a good foundation. It's easier to improve soil before plants are in place, so the time to do so is now.
Spading or tilling the soil in the fall allows for the winter conditions of freezing and thawing to naturally break the soil into its particles. This results in crumbly state desirable for spring planting. Soil is often damp or wet in the spring which makes deep spading more difficult.
Take the time in early spring to prepare the soil before you plant. It's the single most important, game-changing investment you can make, in addition to choosing quality plants and seeds. Loose, dark, soil rich in nutrients is the goal, and it'll go a long way to ensure a plentiful harvest.
Early spring is ideal timing to add soil nutrients, ensure the soil isn't compacted, and remove any stray weeds. Many people choose this time of year for tilling, as well (although if you're using no-till methods, you may be able to skip that step).
Soil samples can be taken any time throughout the year. It is important though to sample approximately the same time of the year. Late summer, or early fall, is a good time for most crops. This allows time for lime recommended to react and change the pH before the crop is planted.
You must top dress in the growing season, NOT in winter. It is usually best to top dress in spring or as soon as you have reached your regular weekly mow. The earlier in the growing season the better. Generally late spring to early summer is best.
Adding organic matter in the form of compost and aged manure, or using mulch or growing cover crops (green manures), is the best way to prepare soil for planting. Adding chemical fertilizers will replenish only certain nutrients and do nothing for maintaining good, friable soil.
The best time to apply fertilizer to your vegetable garden is before planting each growing season. This allows the nutrients in the fertilizer to be readily available to the young plants as they grow. If you missed the planting time, don't worry. You can still apply fertilizer to your garden during the growing season.
A few inches of compost mixed into your growing rows in the fall can do wonders for recharging the soil. Compost is teeming with life, and helps to build good soil structure for stronger root growth.
A constant, fresh supply of organic matter is necessary to keep it growing healthy. While routinely adding an extra layer of topsoil to your lawn can be helpful, fall is the most opportune time to do so. This is because the winter can be a particularly difficult time for the plant life on your property.
Fall is the best time to add compost to perennial gardens. Apply a top dressing of about an inch or 2 of compost. You can work it into the top few inches of soil or just leave it on top as mulch. Applying compost in autumn will give perennials a healthy boost for the coming spring.
Fall is the best time to prepare garden soil, says Kansas State University Research and Extension horticulturalist Ward Upham. The soil is often too wet in the spring to work without forming clods that will be present the rest of the growing season.
The goal is to water the soil well to saturate it into the planting root zone. And give the soil plenty of time to drain slightly but not dry out completely before you plant.
Potting mix should be watered thoroughly before planting so that it's easier to work with. To ensure the mix is completely moistened, add water until the water begins draining from the drainage holes. After pre-moistening, wait 1-2 hours to allow the soil to fully drain.
Green manures and cover crops—such as buckwheat and phacelia in the summertime and vetch, daikon, and clovers in the fall—are my favorite way to improve soils. Whenever I have a window before planting, I grow a cover crop to add organic matter, lighten and loosen soil structure, and enrich garden nutrients.
Most experts tend to agree that two to three weeks is required between tilling and planting. This is enough time for the various organic matter to settle and once again begin producing the nutrients that your soil and plants need.
On most soils they are best incorporated by cultivation in spring (March and April in most of the UK) just before growth starts. Sandy soils are best manured from late winter. However, autumn application can also work on all but sandy soils.
FAQ About Topdressing
It's optional, but yes, you can fertilize before topdressing a lawn. If you decide to aerate, the fertilizer should be put down after you aerate and before you place the topdressing material. This extra fertilizer boost will help increase the turf's growth and health.
It can take 500 to 1,000 years for one inch of topsoil (the upper layer of soil containing the most organic matter and microorganisms) to form through the interaction of bedrock, climate, topography, and living organisms.
If it's been awhile, and your plants aren't performing well, maybe it's time you looked into it. Typically, changing the soil in your potted plants should happen every 12 to 18 months. There are some exceptions that may change this timing.
How Long Can You Store Potting Soil? Opened bags of new potting soil can retain quality for around 6 to 12 months. For unopened and unused potting soil, you can store it for about a year or two before it goes bad.