Ok,
We shall call this Part #2 in follow up of starting your seedlings. While you are tending to your seedlings you will have time to either create or prepare a current garden bed.
IF you are new to having a garden, please see link below to start a small 4x16 foot garden. This was my first GO at a raised garden bed.
Let's see what you can dig your hands into!
There are many options to determine what your garden soil will need to either freshen it up or start from scratch. I started from scratch when we moved, given we have cows (free cow manure) and our property used to be an apple orchard years ago. So my experience has been a little easier than other people, I'm sure.
So let's get to the nitty gritty!
Soil Testing: They have Luster Leaf PH/N/K/P test kits at Lowe's or Home Depot for you to use at home. The kits cost around $20 and have 10 tests for each nutrient (40 capsules). These are fairly easy to use.
If you have never added any nutrients or fertilizer to your current bed, this can be beneficial. If your PH is too high or two low your plants will not succeed.
PH = Acidity
N= Nitrogen
P= Phosphorous
K= Potash
Please see video below on how to use this PH Kit testing system. You can also test for Nitrogen, Phosphorous and Potash. This video also includes how to do those. Make sure you also read the directions!
***Reminder- ALL vegetables, fruits, and flowers are different. They all require a different soil mixture and PH for them to survive and thrive!***
After your pH test is complete, you will want to make sure your vegetables OR flowers are okay with that soil type :)!
Here are some of the go-to plants and what their pH should be! Otherwise, please visit -
I have only done soil pH testing so far, although the video above leads you to how to correctly test your other kits.
See below for my pH testing procedure from start to finish, and results!
After watching the "results" feel free to do some research on what plants you are putting in, so you can optimize the soil to be fertile for each plant. I will discuss companion planting later on, which also helps your soil.
Tomato | 5.5-7.5 |
Pepper | 5.5-7.0 |
Squash | 5.5-7.5 |
Garlic | 5.5-8.0 |
Cabbage | 6.0-7.0 |
Raspberry | 5.5-7.0 |
Blueberry | 4.0-6.0 |
Pumpkin | 5.5-7.5 |
Lettuce | 6.0-7.0 |
Strawberry | 5.4-6.5 |
As always, feel free to reach out if any additional questions arise!!!