Gardening has gained in popularity over recent months and if you are looking to continue to better your skills, here are some top tips for improving your garden soil to grow vegetables…

A lot more people started gardening during the worldwide lockdown which took place earlier in the year.  In fact, research suggests that £3.7 billion was spent in the UK alone on gardening during the first lockdown. If your garden soil is less than suitable for growing vegetables and it’s something you would like to do, the following tips will help you improve your soil to grow vegetables. If you’re looking for additional ideas for your garden also, then head over to read up on additional garden improvement ideas.

Dig over your soil

The first step you can take to improve your soil for growing vegetables is to dig the soil you currently have. This allows you to break up any large lumps and reduces any compact soil, allowing air to get in the soil and increase drainage as some vegetables prefer a soil which has good drainage.

Manure

You can purchase manure from garden centres, but you can also get it free from framers if you know any! If you are using fresh manure from a farmer, it’s best to use this during the winter. You can use chicken manure, cow manure, or you could also use horse manure. A lot of these manures are easy to find.

Seaweed

Another free option is seaweed. It is high in nutrients and readily available if you go down to your local beach!  You can also purchase it in liquid form from a garden centre. If you are trying to keep costs down, then heading to the beach is probably the cheaper option.

Coffee Grounds

Do you like coffee? There are so many options for coffee lovers these days, such as Two Chimps Coffee, purchasing a coffee from your local café or making your own at home. No matter how you like your coffee, you can make use of those coffee grounds that are often thrown away as a way of improving the soil of your garden. You place the coffee grounds on your soil and work it in. They add nitrogen to your soil, making it a place where vegetables love to grow.

 Leaf Mould

You can add leaves to your soil to improve it. However, to do this, you need to gather up any fallen leaves and store them in a plastic bag for up to eight to twelve months. In that time, the leaves will be a crumbly mixture with plenty of nutrients for your soil.  

Blood, Fish and Bone

Adding blood, fish and bone to your soil will add a fertilizer which will release slowly. You can purchase this in liquid form from a garden centre, and it promotes healthy plants and vegetables. Blood, fish and bone is another excellent option and ideal for improving your soil for growing vegetables.

Bark

If you know anyone who works in the timber industry, you can get bark for free. Using it on soils that are like clay improve drainage. While it doesn’t have a lot of nutrients, it does have a carbon element which helps the nitrogen in your soil.