One secret to growing healthy, vigorous, disease free plants is the soil. You leave Horsford’s with a carload of beautiful plants that you hope to enjoy for years to come. This hope will blossom into reality if you follow some basic steps.

First, you want to promote good soil structure. Structure refers to how the soil comes together. Soil with good structure absorbs water quickly and drains excess water in a timely manner. Plant roots and soil organisms can easily move through it, and digging is easy. To achieve good structure add organic matter, compost, or manure to your existing soil. Dig it in as deeply and thoroughly as you can. Cultivate your soil when it is moist, not soggy and not bone dry. Keep bare soil covered with some sort of mulch. If you are not ready to plant your garden space, seed it with a green manure or cover crop that you will eventually work into the soil. This is preferable to leaving the soil exposed.

While rototillers are certainly helpful, keep their use to a minimum, as they tend to over cultivate soil. The shovel and rake are more soil friendly.

Secondly live by the mantra ‘organic is best’. Organic matter provides a steady supply of nutrients such as nitrogen and potassium. You get this from decomposed plant matter and aged animal manures. It improves your soil’s moisture holding ability while providing food for earthworms and other beneficial organisms. Organically enriched soils are less likely to carry diseases.

Finally, if you need to fertilize plants, use an organic fertilizer. While Miracle Gro undoubtedly produces the largest tomato, it has no benefits to the soil. We use ProGro, an organic slow release fertilizer. This fertilizer supplies nutrients over a long period of time thus eliminating the danger of burning the roots. It is a balanced fertilizer so plants grow at a normal, healthy rate. ProGro will not harm earthworms or other microorganisms that you want in your soil.

The growers at Horsford’s strive to produce the healthiest plants possible. Nestling them into fertile, organic soil will encourage root growth, which is the key to long-term success. A good book on the subject is Secrets to Great Soil by Storey Publishing. The gardeners at Horsford’s will be able to answer questions you might have.