Soil vs. Dirt
The soil on the left is the amended dirt. These samples were taken only feet away from each other.
When I think dirt, I think The Grapes of Wrath. It is the dry dusty lifeless matter in which things struggle to find the necessities of life, such as water, air, and nutrients. It compacts or just blows away. Soil, on the other hand, is rich and fluffy. It contains dead matter and living matter such as fungi, microbes, and maybe a lovely little earthworm. Not only is there moisture, air, and nutrients, but also thriving ecosystem of microorganisms.
If your garden is like most, you are likely starting with something closer to dirt. No fear. This is fixable. To get a sense of your soil quality, you can perform tests for nutrient content (specifically organic matter, Nitrate-N, Phosphorus, Potassium, pH, Magnesium, Calcium) and a soil texture. Knowing what nutrients are present or missing will help you add the correct amendments. A reputable lab test for soil includes your state's county extension office or either of the following national labs. For example:
https://midwestlabs.com/mylab-portal-2/consumer-estore-garden/
https://stukenholtz.com/soil-sampling-procedures/
A soil texture test is something you can do at home to determine your soil composition with respect to clay, silt, and sand. This will help you know which structural amendments you need to either increase drainage or hold moisture in your soil.
Fill a graduated cylinder (or cylindrical jar) about 3/4 full of soil dug to 1 ft deep.
Add water to top with approximately a 5% detergent solution, cover, and shake.
After 90 seconds mark where the next layer of sediment has settled - label SAND.
After 2 hours, mark the next layer of sediment - label SILT
After 1 week - mark the top layer below the clear water - label CLAY.
Use the following chart to determine your soil texture composition:
The ideal garden soil is a loam which has about 20-30% clay, 40% silt, and 30-40% sand. This structural allows the best water retention and drainage. Ideally, you would also have a nice little layer of debris floating in the top of your testing cylinder representing some organic matter.
Organic matter is the most important component of gardening and the secret of success for healthy plants, as well as less watering and less fertilizer input. The following steps will ensure plenty of matter to break down over time, delivering nutrients, holding moisture, and giving beneficial microbes a fantastic habitat.
Step 1 - Add organic matter and compost. Examples: leaves, grass clipping (no seeds), straw, and wood chips worked into the soil.
Step 2 - Add mycorrhizal inoculant and water in or work into the soil. This is the happy fungus.
Step 3 - Add ground cover. Depending on your climate, budget, and preference, this could be wood chips, straw, leaves, newspaper, or cardboard, even other plants (living mulch).
Step 4 - Add water. Both fungus and plants need plenty of deep regular water.
Step 5 - Give it some time. You can begin planting right away but the soil should improve over time so long as it has enough water for the ground to remain moist.
For more resources on soil types in your area, visit: https://websoilsurvey.sc.egov.usda.gov/App/HomePage.htm