Healthy soil is the key to success for growing anything and everything, whether it is vegetables, flowers, herbs, fruit, turf, shrubs or trees. Creating good soil is vital to growing healthy plants and we are passionate about encouraging and educating people to do this organically. Using inorganic chemicals in the form of fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides and fungicides negatively affect the health and vitality of the soil by killing the microorganisms and leaving toxic residues absorbed by plants, bugs and animals.

The key to creating healthy soil is by using good quality compost, soil amendments, organic fertilizers, natural pest, disease and weed controls and planting cover crops and green manures regularly. The first step to balancing soil is taking a soil test to establish what is needed to bring the soil's ph, macro and micro-nutrients into balance. A good soil test will show what areas of the soil are depleted, in balance and in excess. Once this information is ascertained, the grower can make adjustments to bring the soil into balance, which will reduce the likelihood of pests and disease, while increasing the vigor of plants grown in this soil. Here on the site, we provide soil testing services, compost, cover crop seeds, organic fertilizers, soil amendments, books and much more to help you get your soil on the right track.

Here are some great resources for learning how to foster healthy soils.

Attra on soils

Soil fertility management for organic crops

Soil Testing Sites
Attra on soil testing
UGA soil testing
NC State soil testing
Clemson soil testing