Your Tropical Garden Deserves the Best Soil

Garden soil is essential for good gardening. Countless micro-organisms that live in soil work 24/7 to break down decaying organic matter and provide nutrients to growing plants. So, if you want to have a healthy garden you basically need two things – quality soil and outstanding seeds. Let’s stick to the soil, for now.

There are literally thousands of different soil types, but only a few basic ones. Most common soil types are sand, sandy loam, loam, loamy clay and clay. This classification varies depending on location. For example, much of the soil in Singapore, where I live, is clay. And here is what I did when I was preparing the soil for my first gardening season.

Your Tropical Garden Deserves the Best Soil

Garden Location and Soil Samples

Firstly I picked a good location for my garden. A suitable location should allow good exposure to direct sunlight and sufficient drainage to keep the soil from becoming too soggy. In case you don’t have enough space in your garden, you may want to consider growing a vertical garden or growing plants hydroponically. I grow hydroponically for years and it’s been really exciting so far.

After choosing your garden’s location, the second step for you is to check your soil’s composition and take a pH test. This sort of test can be done in a garden supply store. If you have a clay soil, the chances are high that you will need to add some loam, sand and other amendments in order to increase soil drainage. I did all this. Want to know how? By using raised beds.

Awesome Advantages of Raised Beds

If clay is all around you then making raised beds is by far the best option you got. How to do it? Easy, like I did it. Just start digging, add some organic materials to amend the structure and in no time you’ll see that the soil is slightly raised above that ground level that was not adequate for growing. By doing this, you’re actually building a temporary raised bad. I often use boards or bricks as edging for raised beds. This way my garden looks nicer too.

Another super cool thing with raised beds is that they can protect your crops from garden pests. To make this happen, you have to use raised bed covers. I bet you have or you know someone who has problems with tomato pests or diseases that attack basil. I took these as examples because I know a lot of people who have a huge concern about these two varieties. Anyways, after adding some beautiful borders to my raised beds I took a moment or two to think about the fertilizers.

Use Organic Fertilisers and Sleep Peacefully

There’s no question about the importance of organic fertilizers in gardening. If you want to become a green thumb, start by providing fuel to your plants. You can’t drive your car without fuel either, can you? The same stands for plants. Just loosen your hand and add a generous amount of compost and organic matter to your soil. When it comes to types of organic matter to use for this purpose, I recommend animal manure, sawdust, grass clippings and vegetable peelings from your kitchen.

Any questions about choosing the right soil for your garden? As always, I’m here to help!