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UC Master Gardeners of Monterey & Santa Cruz Counties

Compost & Soil Preparation

Good gardeners grow good soil. It's the soil that grows the garden. 

 

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Home & Garden

A collection of tips and informant to improve your home garden's soil.
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Hands in Soil
UC Marin Master Gardeners: Page

What Is Healthy Soil

Earthworms are an excellent indicator of healthy soil. Photo, Sippakorn Yamkasikorn, Pexels Dirt and soil are NOT the same thing. Dirt is a lifeless mixture of minerals, air, and water.
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Banner compost
UC Marin Master Gardeners: Page

Compost Systems

The real work of composting is done by a variety of underground inhabitants including earthworms, sowbugs, bacteria, fungi and other micro-organisms. Some you can see, but most you cannot.
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UC Master Gardeners of Central Sierra: Page

Central Sierra | Master Gardeners | February Gardening Tips

Above 2000 ft. : prune deciduous fruit trees, cane berries Below 2000 ft.: prune grapes, roses, crepe myrtle. Paint trunks of bare root and young fruit trees to prevent borers and protect from sunburn. Use interior white latex paint with equal amounts of water and apply generously.
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Hands in Soil
UC Marin Master Gardeners: Page

How to Keep Your Soil Healthy

Once youve got healthy soil, keeping it that way is mostly about maintaining a desirable environment for the many creatures that live there. Here are some of the ways to keep your soil healthy. Allow leaves to decompose in the garden.
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Hands in Soil
UC Marin Master Gardeners: Page

Avoid Disturbing Your Soil

Natures no-till way relies on leaving the soil alone and nourishing it by the continual addition of new layers of dying and dead plant matter.
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soil and composting information for home gardener
UC Master Gardener Program of Sonoma County: Page

Soil and Composting

 Soil health and fertility underlie success in our food and ornamental gardens, but not all soils are ideal for productivity. In many locations of Sonoma County, heavy clay predominates while loose sandy soil is found in coastal areas as well as in isolated pockets inland. Some home gardeners find that…
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Hands in Soil
UC Marin Master Gardeners: Page

Soil

Photo: Lukas, Pexals Soil is a naturally occurring mixture of inorganic and organic ingredients with a definite form, structure, and composition, that varies from one location to another.
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learn how to create and use compost for your home garden
UC Master Gardener Program of Sonoma County: Page

Compost for the Garden

Decomposition occurs naturally over time, affecting all organic matter. Managing the process for soil improvement in a compost pile provides rich organic material for the garden.
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