Start Preparations With a Soil Test

• Healthy soil produces successful crop growthcrops in rows image by david hughes from Fotolia.com
  
  A soil test will lead to a successful vegetable garden. The National Gardening Association, in the online article "Building Great Soil" by Warren Schultz, recommends that a complete test should reveal the organic matter content of your soil, since such content is usually less than it should be. A soil test should reveal 5 percent organic matter, with the least being 3 percent, according to the NGA. Adding organic matter will ensure the best outcome.
  
  

Texture of Soil

• A mix of soil textures at sitegeologic soil image by Stepanov from Fotolia.com
  
  Determine whether the soil's texture is made up of sand, silt, clay or another type of soil. Richard Merrill, director of the horticulture department at Cabrillo Community College in Aptos, California, said in the NGA article that every gardener can substantiate the texture of the soil at home.
  
  Merrill recommends that you take a handful of moist soil and roll it between your palms until it forms a ribbon. If the ribbon of soil feels grainy and breaks apart immediately, this proves the soil is predominantly sand. If the soil feels smooth and holds its shape for a short time before breaking up, it is mostly silt. If the soil feels sticky and holds together in the ribbon formation, it is mostly clay.
  
  

Building Successful Soil

• A field of buckwheat cropcorn-growing image by martini from Fotolia.com
  
  Merrill recommends compost as a fine organic material to add to soil. However, he advocates that a gardener should plant a cover crop such as buckwheat, which is ready for reaping within eight weeks in the ground. Buckwheat is green manure that ensures your soil has been organically treated, and with buckwheat, the harvesting is easy, he says. Just chop it off at ground level, Merrill states, and lay it on the ground to serve as mulch. You can then begin planting your vegetables.
  
  

Clay Soil

• Clay Soil with sparse plant growth through the cracksArid soil image by Igor Baryshev from Fotolia.com
  
  Clay is a difficult soil for any type of planting and needs to be treated before you grow vegetables. Denny Schrock, home horticulture specialist at the University of Illinois, urges the use of composted manure, homemade compost, municipal compost, and sawdust composted with manure as good products for clay soil. Work these products in good amounts in the spring, he advises, and there will be soil structure improvement when you begin planting.
  
  Schrock told the NGA that there is always the danger of adding too much organic matter to clay soil. Schrock says it is equally important to work the organic matter completely through the soil so that it does not develop into a perched water table.
  
  

Add Mulch When First Crop Is Growing

• Mulch is used for plant coverpine bark mulch image by robert mobley from Fotolia.com
  
  You can add mulch as organic matter to the soil when the first crop is growing, according to the NGA. This will prepare the garden to do well during high temperatures in the summer, since mulch cools the temperature. A 4-inch layer of mulch can drop soil temperature from 105 degrees Fahrenheit to 80 degrees. At the same time, mulch contributes helpful organic matter and nutrients to the soil as it decomposes.
  
  

Kelp as a Mulch and Importance of Air

• Seaweed is a source of trace minerals and promotes plant growth.seaweed on rock image by pdtnc from Fotolia.com
  
  Kelp meal aids plant growth. Bill Wolf, president of the board of directors of the Organic Materials Review Institute, told the NGA, "Kelp or seaweed is a great source of trace minerals and growth potential." Wolf also says that adding seaweed to soil triggers an increase in microbial activity and fuels the decay cycle of organic matter in the soil.
  
  Wolf stresses the importance of air in soil health. He emphasizes that the most important fertility component in your soil--more important than anything you can buy--is air. Air, he says, is the driving force in stimulating soil life, since microorganisms, earthworms, biotic activity, all rely on a good supply of air.
  
  

Perfect Soil Combination for Your Vegetable Garden

• Earthworms rely on a good supply of air to promote rich soil.Earthworms image by Ana Dudnic from Fotolia.com
  
  A combination of preliminary soil testing to determine the soil's organic matter content, in addition to ascertaining whether you have good soil texture, leads the way in preparation for your successful vegetable garden. A soil mix of kelp for trace minerals, organic material in the form of a cover crop, mulch, compost, and the all-important provision of air makes for the perfect soil combination for your vegetable garden. Remember to treat clay soil beforehand with several types of compost and to work the organic matter completely through the soil in preparation for the planting process.