Vegetable plants grow best in a fertile, loamy soil that
drains well. Sandy-loam soils,
well supplied with organic matter, are easily worked and quite
productive. Unfortunately,
most Georgia gardens don’t have such soils.

Very coarse, sandy soils dry out fast and are hard to keep
fertile.

Clay soils are hard to work and usually stay wet until late
spring. They’re often red
or reddish-brown and sticky when wet. They may be grayish where
drainage is poor.

These soils tend to form a hard crust after a heavy rain.
They become so compacted that
the plant’s roots can’t get enough oxygen to grow. Both clay
and sandy soils must be
modified for successful vegetable gardening.

Water Drainage

You can’t expect to produce good vegetables on poorly
drained soils. In many gardens,
improving subsurface drainage with tile lines isn’t practical.
So surface drainage is
critical.

Grade the surface so excess water will run off promptly, but
in a controlled way, to
prevent erosion. Leveling will eliminate pockets and low spots
where water tends to stand
for a long time.

Adding organic matter to clay and clay-loam soils will
improve drainage and aeration,
too.

Another option for dealing with poor drainage is to grow the
vegetables in raised beds
or on planting ridges. However, it may be harder in raised beds
to manage water properly
during drought periods.

Moisture at
Working

Don’t get overanxious in early spring. Never till or spade
the soil until it’s dry
enough to crumble when worked. Soils high in clay content are
easily damaged if worked
when wet.

Experienced gardeners often use the "squeeze" test
to tell if the soil is
ready. With a spade, turn over a slice of soil about 6 inches
deep. Pick up a handful of
soil and squeeze it.

If the soil crumbles when you open your hand, it’s ready to
work. If it stays in a
tight ball, wait several days (if it doesn’t rain) before
spading or tilling.

Texture and
Structure

Conditioners can improve the soil’s aeration, drainage,
moisture-holding capacity and
tilth, or workability.

Common soil conditioners include compost, peat moss,
composted animal manures, green
manure crops and coarse sand.

By incorporating coarse, rather than fine, sand and organic
matter into a garden soil,
you can, over time, produce a desirable, loamy-type soil.
However, adding fine sand to
clay can produce something close to brick.

A common mistake when trying to improve the garden soil is
failing to use enough
conditioners. For chiefly clay or sandy soil, use large amounts
to effectively improve
texture and structure.

Uniformly apply 3 to 4 inches of organic matter and, if
available, 1 to 2 inches of
coarse sand over the garden surface. Till or spade the material
thoroughly into the top 8
to 10 inches of soil.

Fertility

When you incorporate organic materials such as straw and
shredded bark into the soil,
you have to add extra nitrogen fertilizer.

The nitrogen provides extra nutrition for microbes
decomposing the added organic
matter. It prevents a temporary nitrogen deficiency in the
vegetable plants.

Apply one-fourth pound of ammonium nitrate or ammonium
sulfate for each bushel of
mulch, or 2 pounds of a complete fertilizer such as 5-10-5,
8-8-8 or 12-12-12, per 100
square feet.

If you see any yellowing of lower foliage, or if garden
plants lack vigor in early
summer, apply more nitrogen.

Soil pH

Use a soil test to see if your soil needs limestone to
adjust the pH. Most vegetables
grow best in slightly acid soil with a pH of 6.0 to 6.8. You
can get your soil pH-tested
through the county
Extension Service office
or a private lab.

Remember, it took years to make the soil you have. It may
take several years to improve
it.