Worried about your water bill this summer? 

Take care of your soil. 

Soils can make or break a gardener.  Where I grew up in Southern California we had pure sand and a high pH (that means the soil was alkaline).  To succeed we had to add copious amounts of organic matter usually in the form of leaf mold or peat moss and acidic fertilizers that contained chelated trace elements.  Water was a scarce commodity and heavy mulching paid huge dividends.  A little farther north and inland from us the soils turned to a red adobe that was heavy and drained poorly.  Applications of gypsum helped improve the soil and of course organic matter always made a huge difference.

Later in my gardening life I moved to northern California and had to struggle with a heavy clay not unlike the modeling stuff we used as kindergarteners.  Most of the time it was either too wet to work or too dry to get a shovel in it.  But over time, with repeated applications of compost and other organic amendments I was able to succeed.

When I moved to Washington 21 years ago I had dreams of having the perfect soil.  Much to my disappointment I ended up dealing with glacial till, the most common soil we have in these parts.  This is a heavy mix of rocks and clay that does not drain worth a hoot and is miserable to garden in.  The panacea once again was adding organic matter and over the course of time I have built some very nice soil that is a joy to plant in and grows very nice veggies and flowers.  As you can see, the recurrent theme to all these different soils is the addition of organic matter.  And that is what this column is about.

Adding organic matter to your soils should be an annual event.   I just finished  mulching my beds with a 1-2 inch layer of Cedar Grove compost which will probably reduce my water usage by 50% not to mention that it will keep the weeds down and any that do have the audacity to pop up will be very easy to pull out.  It also is rich in nutrients and microorganisms.  And I like the look of this finely screened dark product.

If you don’t like the aroma of Cedar Grove compost (the smell dissipates rapidly) then try some Dark Fine Bark from Everett Bark.  This is a fabulous material made from composted bark which is very dark and a consistent texture.  It has a delicious foresty smell but not much in the nutrient department.  I have used it for years to work into the soil as well as a mulch on top.

DeJong has two good products that look a little less refined than the dark fine bark or the compost but are both high in nutrients.  One is Chicken chips which is a blend of wood shavings and chicken manure and the other is Ferti-mulch which is sawdust and cow manure.  I have used both over the years and had very good results.

All of the above products only come in bulk form (except Cedar Grove) so if you don’t have a pickup or don’t want 5-10 yards at a time then you can use most any of the bagged composts sold at reputable garden centers.  While the bags are more expensive than bulk they afford you the flexibility of applying smaller quantities at one time which often works better with one’s time and monetary budget.

Whatever you do this summer, if you want to save money on your water bill and make your plants happy then apply some organic matter to your soils.  Work it into the soil when you plant and apply it to the surface as a mulch on established beds.  It could be the best investment you ever make in the garden.