This  may seem a very BORING  subject, but how you deal with your soil is the key to success or failure in all you do in your garden.  Taking a few minutes now to learn how to build the kind of soil that will grow strong, vibrantly healthy plants, will save you a lot of frustration as well as  time and money in the future.  So I hope you will be motivated to take the time and effort needed to prepare your soil well. This bit is by far the toughest part of gardening and if you can't handle it yourself  beg, borrow or hire someone who can!  I can't stress this step enough.  You may have the most wonderfully thought-out plan, and the highest quality plant material available, but if you plant in poor, under-nourished soil you are throwing your time and money away!  The good news is, if you do the hard work right the first time you will only have to do it ONCE for the majority of your garden.

Healthy dirt is full of creepy-crawly things, from microscopic organisms and earthworms, to bugs and beetles.  If you dig a hole and what you get is hard and compacted or looks a bit like beach sand, your dirt needs help.  What it needs is ORGANIC MATTER - compost and aged manure*, "green manure", shredded leaves and other sorts of fluffy material, as well as a good helping of natural fertilizers like rock dust and greensand.  These will start biological activities going in your soil, turning the "stuff " you add into something plants can use.  That organic matter will help create a soil texture that has air spaces and will hold moisture in a healthy way (not staying wet and soggy for days after a rain like heavy clay soil, or drying out in 15 minutes like a sandy soil can). 

Growing "green manure" plants, like annual ryegrass, clover and buckwheat, and turning them into the soil is an inexpensive way to add organic matter to soil you haven't planted yet.  Compost and well-aged manure can be spread around existing plantings and will be worked into the soil over time by all the critters that will have been encouraged to join the project.

Whatever you do, don't add chemical fertilizers to the soil, because they seem cheap and fast!  They drive off and kill all the critters you  need to encourage, and might well be why your soil is in the shape it is in to begin with!

*Fresh manure can be too "hot" or potent and burn plants and roots.

Mulch - An important garden tool
 

In nature, the surface of the soil is usually covered by living plant material or plant debris - leaves, needles and dying plants. In our "backyards", we often maintain areas of bare soil between plants, especially in vegetable and annual flower beds. A 2"-5" layer of organic mulch will be a fine imitation of natural conditions and offers the following benefits :
 

* Insulates the soil - protecting surface roots.
 

* Cuts down on watering needs - maintains moisture in soil, slows down evaporation.
 

* Reduces erosion by rain and sprinklers.
 

* Keeps weeds down - practically eliminates weeding chores and makes those weeds that do grow easier to pull.
 

* Supplies humus and nutrients - improves soil structure over time as soil organisms work the bottom layer of mulch into the soil beneath.
 

* Prevents muddy splash - on greens and other low plants.
 

* Prevents rot and spread of fungal diseases by splashing water - keeps vegetables and fruits off damp ground.
 

When Not To Mulch:

* When your soil is poorly drained and stays wet and cold all season, plant groundcover instead to soak up moisture.
 

* Uncover vegetable and annual flower beds early in spring to allow time for the soil to dry out and warm up.