Tips & Topics

What's the most important factor for tomato garden success in the springtime?
The perfect heirloom tomato choices, strong stakes, drip watering or soil preparation?

You'd be right if you picked anything from that list, as all of those can make for an enjoyable and successful tomato season. But the most important, and the one you can work on far in advance of putting seedlings in the ground, is soil preparation.

Poor soils are equivalent to a faulty home foundation, it just won't get the job done. And when you're talking about soils in a vegetable garden it's even more important to concentrate on soil health and vitality since each season your hungry vegetables are depleting the most important ingredients in your soils. Before the coldest temperatures of the winter arrive it's important to clean the garden thoroughly of all last year's occupants. This is especially important this year given the blight-filled spring many eastern and northeastern gardeners experienced in 2009. Winter's cold will rid most gardens of the blight threat but it can overwinter in plant material such as potatoes so don't leave anything to chance.

Once you've removed all leaf litter and plant material then add copious amounts of clean organic material to vegetable garden soils or boxes to replace lost nutrients. Add fallen leaves, the best of your own compost and quality packaged materials you can buy at your local nursery. Rather than add one material, add a wide variety of products to round out the nutrient availability in your soils. Adding worms to the area is a great idea too as they'll help mix your pile all winter.

Don't be afraid of piling it on and piling it high. Soil activity heightened by your additions will reduce the mass over the winter months while it excites your soil. In truly cold zones it may be best to cover the area with a large pile of leaves, straw, burlap or canvas after adding organic material. This wonderful mix will break down over the winter and your site will be in perfect shape to welcome new seedlings in the spring. Uncover your pile three to four weeks in advance of planting time and turn it lightly. This helps you evaluate the progress. If it looks compost (and it should!) you're ready to go. You should look forward to a terrific season.

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