6 Steps on How to Build Your Soil — The Secret to a Thriving Garden

Healthy soil is the foundation of every thriving garden. Without it, plants struggle to grow, yields decline, and pests take over. But when you care for your soil, everything else falls into place.

Building good soil doesn’t happen overnight — it’s a process of working with nature rather than against it. Here’s how you can transform your dirt into living, fertile soil that will sustain your garden for years to come.

Understand What Makes Soil 'Alive'

Soil isn’t just dirt — it’s a living ecosystem. It’s home to billions of microbes, fungi, and tiny organisms that break down organic matter, release nutrients, and create structure. When we use chemicals or till excessively, we destroy that life. But when we add compost, mulch, and natural amendments, we bring it back to balance.

Step 1: Add Organic Matter

The single best thing you can do for your soil is to add organic matter. Compost, manure, leaves, and plant residues improve soil structure, fertility, and moisture retention.

At Living Foods Farm, we make our own compost using plant waste, animal bedding, and kitchen scraps. Each spring, we spread a layer of compost before planting and again in the fall to feed the soil during winter.

Step 2: Use Mulch Wisely

Mulch isn’t just about weed control — it’s about building soil. As mulch breaks down, it becomes organic matter. We use shredded leaves, composted straw, and herb trimmings from our salve-making herbs (like comfrey and lemon balm) as mulch. Nothing goes to waste — everything circles back to nourish the soil.

Step 3: Grow Cover Crops

Cover crops (like clover, rye, or vetch) are nature’s way of restoring fertility. They protect soil from erosion, fix nitrogen, and improve texture. Even a small raised bed benefits from a winter cover crop. In early spring, you can cut it down and let it decompose right on the bed as green mulch.

Step 4: Avoid Over-Tilling

Tilling might make soil look fluffy, but it destroys the fungal networks that hold soil together. Instead, try no-till gardening — add compost and mulch right on top and let earthworms do the work. We use primarily a no tillage method at Living Foods Farm, and the result is soil that’s rich, loose, and teeming with life. We have tilled all of our in ground spaces once when we first planted in them, but have not tilled since then.

Step 5: Feed with Natural Amendments

Every soil is unique. Sometimes it needs a little extra boost. Use natural amendments like:
- Compost tea for beneficial microbes
- Crushed eggshells for calcium
- Wood ash for potassium
- Worm castings for balanced nutrients

Avoid synthetic fertilizers that give short-term results but damage long-term soil health.

Step 6: Rotate Your Crops 

Just like people, soil needs rest. Don’t grow the same crops in the same spot each year — this depletes nutrients and encourages pests. Rotate families of plants and let one bed rest under a cover crop or mulch.