7 Easy Ways to Repair Soil in Your Garden This Winter.

There are a few last minute things you can do to repair your soil this winter, it’s not too late.

1. Take time to walk over your land, especially after heavy rain, checking for changes that might indicate soil erosion. Look out for bare soil, exposed tree roots, soil pillars, rills (shallow gullies), muddy runoff water, sediment fans and silted dams.

Act on any erosion when it’s a small problem. Addressing the problem means both repairing erosion damage and treating the cause, so that erosion does not re-occur. Acting early can save hundred, if not thousands. of dollars. Find out more at Saving Soil, a Landholders Guide. 

2. Add amendments to improve the structure. Find out what to add to clay soil, silt soil and sandy soil to help it drain better or hold moisture. Improve your garden soil.

3. Start Composting. Use the materials you already have, like kitchen scraps and yard debris to begin a simple compost system in a galvanized can or a mini composter in a plastic tub.

4. If your soil is compacted you can add top-dressing in the planting beds. Several inches of compost will improve lightly compacted soils.  Cultivating the soil lightly and incorporating your compost into the soil can really speed the healing process.

5. You can keep the soil from re-compacting by creating pathways and use garden walls, fences or mulch to keep foot traffic off the soil.

6. If you have soil damaged from salt or pet urine burns, or that is heavy clay and compacted, you can add Gypsum pellets. It will naturally repair damages soil and break up clay soil. (see what it’s about at this Amazon link)

7. OK, this one’s not quick but it is easy and very effective. If  you have a garden space that you will not be using until next year, find out about the Back to Eden method of mulching a fallow piece of land in the video below.