A real estate professional since 2007, Wanda Tineo has extensive experience building and nurturing a network of interested home buyers. In her off-hours, Wanda Tineo invests her energy in vegetable gardening.
For vegetables to thrive, you need to plant them in the proper soil. The Gardening Know How website features general information on the right soil conditions. A great place to start is your local extension office, which can analyze a soil sample and tell you if it meets these criteria:
- Organic material. Soils rich in organics have many needed nutrients. They make the soil more manageable and permit roots to spread quickly. They also soak up water to refresh your vegetables.
- Nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. Known also as N-P-K, these essential elements supplement organic nutrients. It may be necessary to adjust the amounts of N-P-K according to your particular conditions.
- Trace elements, such as boron, manganese, zinc, and molybdenum.
- Proper pH. A pH number refers to whether the soil is acidic or alkaline. Although the optimum pH varies, most gardens require a level between 6 and 7. Soil pH outside that range should be raised or lowered.
