How to Prepare Soil for Planting Herbs

Most herbs thrive in light, well-drained soil with a neutral pH and average nutrient levels. If you want to plant your herbs in ideal conditions for the best growth and flavor, test your soil quality in the spring before you start planting anything. If your tests show that the soil’s pH, nutrients, or drainage aren’t ideal, don’t worry! There are plenty of simple amendments you can make to modify your soil and get it ready to produce a healthy crop of herbs.

[Edit]Steps

[Edit]Testing and Amending the Soil

1. Wait until spring and choose a sunny spot for your herb garden. Begin prepping your garden space in the spring once it starts warming up a bit. Since most herbs do best in full sunlight, which is 6-8 hours daily, be sure to select a nice, bright area for your garden.^[1]
   
   • The quality and flavor of herbs are best when they’re grown in full sun.
   • Some herbs may tolerate partial shade, so be sure to check the specifics on each seed packet. For example, angelica, woodruff, sweet cicely, parsley, and mint grow well in partial shade.^[2]
2. Dig a hole deep and fill it with water to test soil drainage. Grab a shovel and dig a hole that’s about deep and wide. Use your hose to fill the hole with water and let it sit overnight to saturate the soil. The following day, fill it up with water again and check the hole every hour to measure the water level as it drains. Ideal soil will drain about per hour.^[3]
   
   • Well-drained soil is crucial for growing herbs. If your soil has poor drainage, don’t worry! You can amend the soil to make it more hospitable for herbs.
   • Typically, loamy and sandy soils work best for herbs. Clay soils tend to be heavy and have poor drainage.^[4]
   • Some light sandy soils drain too quickly, but you can add organic matter to the soil to improve moisture retention.
3. Mix in of organic matter to enrich soil and improve drainage or retention. Shovel and overturn the dirt, breaking up any large clumps as you go. Remove any weeds that you find. Then, add your organic matter to the soil and mix it in well with your shovel or a hoe until it's fully fully incorporated.^[5]
   
   • For average soils, use peat moss, coconut husks, or compost to improve the drainage. Mix it into the top of soil thoroughly with a shovel or hoe.^[6]
   • To improve drainage in clay soils, add of fine pine bark, cracked pea gravel, or coarse compost.
   • Improve the moisture retention of light, sandy soils with of fine pine bark, compost, or leaf mold.^[7]
4. Use a store-bought soil pH test to check for a pH range between 6 and 7. Most herbs do best in neutral soil that is neither too alkaline nor too acidic. Buy a soil pH testing kit at your local nursery and follow the included instructions to measure the pH level of your soil.^[8]
   
   • A pH range of 6.5-7 is optimal, but anything between 6 and 7 is neutral enough for most herbs.^[9]
5. Add agricultural lime or dolomite to the soil if your pH reading was too low. Purchase lime or dolomite at a garden center or nursery. Reference the application ratio on the lime package to see how much to add to your soil. Mix lime into soil and incorporate thoroughly with a spade or tiller.^[10]
   
   • You may want to opt for a lighter application of lime if you are unsure which ratio to use. Over-application of lime can be very difficult to correct.
   • Wait a few days for the lime to fully incorporate before planting anything.
   • You can run another soil test to confirm that the pH is improved.
6. Lower the soil's pH by mixing sphagnum peat into the soil. If your soil pH is too high, the easiest way to lower it is by mixing in organic matter like sphagnum peat. Spread a layer of sphagnum peat over your garden plot and work it into the top of soil.^[11]
   
   • If you want to make sure pH is in the right range after amending the soil, quickly run another soil test.
7. Check the soil’s nutrient levels with a store-bought soil test. Your pH test may also test nutrient levels, so be sure to check the test’s packaging. If it doesn’t, get a separate soil nutrient test at a garden center. Follow the included directions to find out how much nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium are present in the soil. The test results will show if the soil is low, average, or high in these 3 key nutrients.^[12]
   
   • This test doesn't give you an actual score or number. It provides a range from low to high, indicates the ideal level, and tells you where your soil falls on the spectrum.
   • Once you know the nutrient levels, you can amend the soil to raise or lower nutrients, as needed.
   • If your soil has adequate levels of these 3 nutrients already, you don't need to do anything to reduce nutrient levels. Just be sure to avoid adding fertilizer to the soil during the growing season.^[13]
8. Apply a fertilizer to replenish any nutrients that your soil needs. If your test shows that the soil lacks nutrients, choose a liquid or granular commercial fertilizer that will replenish it. Start with low strength fertilizers and move up to stronger fertilizers, if needed, according to your soil test results. Always follow the fertilizer’s instructions and use the correct amount for your garden size and soil type.^[14]
   
   • If you are deficient in just 1 nutrient, buy fertilizer to boost that nutrient without affecting the others.
   • You may need another application of fertilizer during the growing season if the herbs aren’t doing well. If your herbs are thriving, avoid fertilizing again.

[Edit]Tilling the Soil and Preparing Beds

1. Moisten the soil in the planting area lightly with a garden hose. Moist soil makes tilling much easier and more effective. You don't need to drench the soil with water so that it turns into mud, though! Just dampen the top of the soil a bit with your garden hose before you dig in with your garden spade or tiller.^[15]
   
2. Use a garden spade or tiller to loosen the top of soil. For a small or medium-sized backyard herb garden, you can easily turn the earth manually with a garden spade. Thrust the spade into the ground, scoop up the earth, and turn the spade upside down to break up the soil. Work the soil to a depth of and cover the entire garden area.^[16]
   
   • Remove any rocks or hard clods of dirt as you turn the soil over.
   • If you’re planting a large field of herbs, it might be easier to turn the soil with a tiller.
3. Shovel or rake the soil into beds that are high. Raised beds can be helpful if the ground is low, the soil drains poorly, or you live in a wet climate. Rake the soil into rows that are high and as long as you'd like. Then, level the top of each row with a shovel or rake to make the beds about wide.^[17]
   
   • You can make your raised beds even more pronounced by framing the planting area with plywood or rocks several inches high. Then, fill the area with soil and plant your herb seeds or seedlings as you normally would.^[18]
   • Raised beds also increase the soil temperature, which most herbs will love.
4. Plant your chosen herbs on top of the prepared beds. Be sure to check the seed packet instructions for details on adequate spacing and depth for each herb type, how often to water the herbs, and so on. Plant the herbs in the center of each bed.^[19]
   
   • If you'd prefer to plant seedlings that you bought from a nursery, check for a little flag stuck in each seedling's pot that has planting instructions. You can also look up the herbs online to find planting instructions!

[Edit]Things You’ll Need

• Garden spade or tiller
• Shovel or hoe
• Soil pH test
• Soil nutrient test
• Herb seeds of your choice
• Organic matter (peat moss, pine bark, compost, well-rotted manure)
• Lime or dolomite (optional)
• Garden spade or tiller

[Edit]Tips

• If you are growing herbs in containers, the soil's nutrients will gradually leach out as you water the pots. You can help improve the soil by adding commercial fertilizer.
• Herbs that thrive in moist soils include: most varieties of mint, lovage, and angelica.
• Plant mint varieties separately from your other herbs since they can be very invasive.

[Edit]Video

[Edit]Related wikiHows

• Plant in Poor Soils

[Edit]References

1. ↑ https://web.extension.illinois.edu/herbs/intro.cfm
2. ↑ https://extension2.missouri.edu/g6470
3. ↑ https://extension.tennessee.edu/Williamson/Horticulture/Consumer%20Horticulture/DIY%20Soil%20Drainage%20Perk%20Test%20for%20Your%20Yard%20(2016).pdf
4. ↑ https://extension.uga.edu/publications/detail.html?number=B1170&title=Herbs%20in%20Southern%20Gardens
5. ↑ https://agrilifeextension.tamu.edu/library/landscaping/herbs-texas-landscapes/
6. ↑ https://extension2.missouri.edu/g6470
7. ↑ https://hgic.clemson.edu/factsheet/herbs/
8. ↑ https://extension2.missouri.edu/g6470
9. ↑ https://hgic.clemson.edu/factsheet/herbs/
10. ↑ https://hgic.clemson.edu/factsheet/herbs/
11. ↑ https://hortnews.extension.iastate.edu/1994/4-6-1994/ph.html
12. ↑ https://hgic.clemson.edu/factsheet/soil-testing/
13. ↑ https://extension2.missouri.edu/g6470
14. ↑ https://extension.umn.edu/vegetables/growing-herbs-home-gardens#soil-testing-and-fertilizer-929710
15. ↑ https://agrilifeextension.tamu.edu/library/gardening/soil-preparation/
16. ↑ https://extension2.missouri.edu/g6470
17. ↑ https://agrilifeextension.tamu.edu/library/gardening/soil-preparation/
18. ↑ https://extension.uga.edu/publications/detail.html?number=B1170&title=Herbs%20in%20Southern%20Gardens
19. ↑ https://agrilifeextension.tamu.edu/library/gardening/soil-preparation/

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