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Organic Gardening Essentials
Original Content  |  April 21, 2009
Healthy organic soil Photo: Suzanne DeJohn/National Gardening Association
Make Your Own Organic Soil

Building healthy soil is a foundation of organic gardening, Suzanne says. Adding organic matter, such as compost, improves both soil drainage and water-holding capacity and also feeds soil microbes. "These microbes, in turn, break down the organic matter into nutrients plants can use," she says. That's the premise behind the gardener's adage: "Feed the soil, and the soil will feed the plants." Suzanne says it's also important to adjust soil pH (acidity/alkalinity); most garden plants prefer a neutral to slightly acidic soil.
Printed from Oprah.com on Wednesday, May 22, 2013
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