How to Add Nutrients to Soil: 20 Organic Garden Amendments Jenny Graham, December 25, 2023December 25, 2023 Are you curious how to add nutrients to soil for a healthy, productive soil that’s full of life? Let’s take a look at the top 20 organic garden amendments to get your garden growing. Jump to the Top 20 Organic Garden Amendments When & How to Add Nutrients to Soil When it comes to adding nutrients to your soil, you’ll want to take into consideration several things. First, is doing a soil test and looking at those results well before the gardening season starts. From there, you can formulate a plan of organic materials and soil nutrients to add to your vegetable garden. How to Test for Soil Nutrients Testing your soil for nutrients before adding any organic amendments is the best way to know exactly what to add for healthy soil. You’ll want to be sure to test for soil ph level and NPK (nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium) at a minimum. A Basic soil test kit will get the job done. What Is Your Soil Ph Level The soil ph level is the measure of how acidic or alkaline your soil is. Most plants prefer a neutral soil, between 6.0-7.0, while some lean towards liking a more acidic or alkaline soil. Testing your soil is the only way to know the soil ph level and soil nutrient levels. For a more thorough option than the basic soil test to look at soil health, you can use the Redmond Soil Test Kit. After collecting and mailing off your soil sample, Redmond provides you results showing 13 available nutrient levels, pH, fertilizer recommendations, application rates, and links to recommended products from trusted sources. 13 Essential Nutrients Your Plants Need Plants require several nutrients to thrive. Macronutrients and micronutrients are the two main categories of nutrients. Macronutrients for Fertile Soil Nitrogen Phosphorus Potassium Calcium Magnesium Sulphur Micronutrients for Healthy Soil Iron Manganese Zinc Copper Boron Chlorine Molybdenum The Importance of Soil Nutrients Adding the correct nutrients is vital for soil health and healthy plants. Once you know what needs to be added you can decide on when they need to be added. 20 Organic Garden Amendments to Add Nutrients to Soil Add Nutrients to Soil With Garden Compost Adding finished compost to your vegetable garden beds helps improve soil structure and soil health with the addition of organic material. It also helps the soil retain moisture and nutrients. Compost also attracts and contains beneficial organisms which reduces the need for pesticides and fertilizers. Come make compost with me! Brew Compost Tea to Add Nutrients to Soil You can make your own compost tea by soaking some finished compost, Epsom salt, and a dash of molasses in a five gallon bucket. Add some aeration to the mix with a small fish tank bubbler. Let that brew for at least 24 hours, dilute it, and use it in your garden. Compost tea is filled with microbes and micronutrients that promote plant growth and increases production. Healthy, productive plants tend to keep pests at bay. Banana Peels or Banana Water for Nutrients Bananas contain a ton of potassium, phosphorus , and calcium which are all essential nutrients that boost plant growth. You can add chopped up banana peels directly to the soil to break down over time. Better yet, you can soak them in water and use that to water your plants. Coffee Grounds Add Nutrients to Soil Using coffee grounds in the garden is an easy way to add nitrogen and potassium to your soil. Coffee grounds also help improve soil structure and drainage. Growing lettuce, or leafy greens requires nitrogen. Coffee grounds would be a great addition. Wood Ash for the Garden Wood ash is a natural source of trace elements and potassium. They can be added to your compost pile or directly to the garden. Wood ash can change the ph of your soil though so be sure you know your soil ph level. Adding wood ash can help fix an overly acidic soil ph level. Add Nutrients to Soil With Egg Shells Egg shells are chock full of calcium. They can be added directly to your compost pile or ground up into a powder to sprinkle around the base of your plants. I like to use a combination of worm castings, egg shells, and Epsom salt, especially when planting tomatoes. Using Epsom Salt in the Vegetable Garden Using Epsom salt will help add magnesium to your garden. It will boost plant growth, and increase flowering. Not only do I use it when planting my tomatoes, I also use it as a foliar spray on a weekly basis, until my tomato plants have a heavy set of flowers on the plants. Add Nutrients to Soil With Well-Rotted Manure Not only does well-rotted manure contain nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and several micronutrients, it will also help improve the structure of your soil. Adding manure to your garden beds in between growing seasons is a great idea. Just be sure its not contaminated with persistent herbicides. Dead Leaves or Leaf Litter Leaf litter is a great addition to your soil. It not only provides food and shelter for bacteria and fungi but also enriches the soil and keeps it moist. Grass Clippings for the Vegetable Garden Grass clippings are a great way to add nitrogen to your garden soil. They can be added to your compost pile or used directly in the garden as a mulch. They will help regulate the soil temperature, reduce weed growth, and feed your plants. Just be sure they aren’t full of grass seeds. Cover Crops or Green Manures Many cover crops are nitrogen fixers. They are a great way to add nutrients to soil and organic materials in between growing seasons. You can till them into the soil to breakdown or even use them as a chop and drop, planting directly into the organic material. Add Nutrients to Soil With Urine That’s right, urine. It contains nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and carbon. You can water plants at the base of the plants with urine that has been diluted with 8-10 parts water. Just be sure that you only use urine that is free of any medications. Bone Meal for Strong Root Systems Bone meal is one of the best ways to add phosphorus to your garden soil. Adding it at the beginning of the growing season will add nutrients to soil and help your plants develop strong root systems. Fish Emulsion Throughout the Season Fish emulsion is an excellent addition and has been used for ages. It will give your plants a quick boost of nitrogen. You can use it diluted to water plants with or even as a foliar spray. Many home gardeners also add it to their compost tea for added benefits. Add Nutrients to Soil With Blood Meal Adding blood meal is another great way for a nitrogen boost. It can be sprinkled around the base of plants or since its water soluble, used to water plants with. Worm Castings for the Vegetable Garden You can add nutrients to soil, improve your soil structure, and feed your plants with worm castings. Worm castings can be mixed into soil, used as a side dressing, or added to compost tea. They are full of nutrients and encourage healthy soil biology. Aeration to Add Nutrients to Soil Aeration provides oxygen and nutrients. Soil that has good aeration is healthier soil. It allows the plant roots to grow more efficiently and also helps deliver nutrients to the plant roots. Plants will thrive in well aerated soil. Water With Swamp Water Making swamp water is a practice that was made popular by Korean Natural Farming Methods. It is similar to the idea of compost tea, but takes any fresh plant matter (even weeds), blood meal, fish meal, manure, and really anything organic and soaking it in a huge barrel of water for a couple of months. It is an anaerobic form of compost tea that you can use, diluted, to water your plants after the solids have been strained out. Swamp water always greens up my garden. Hügelkultur Beds To build hügelkultur beds you basically take logs, sticks, and branches to first fill the bottom the the bed or mound. Your garden soil is then placed on top of the branches. Overtime all of the sticks and logs begin to break down, which then increases the moisture retention and also adds valuable nutrients to your garden soil. The Right Kind of Mulch When it comes to adding bark vs mulch vs wood chips in the vegetable garden, keep in mind that traditional mulch is high in carbon, which means it will use up available nitrogen in the soil in order to break down. However, using things like triple shredded mulch can be beneficial. Not only does it break down faster than traditional mulch or wood chips, it helps retain soil moisture, improves soil structure, keeps weeds at bay, regulates soil temperature, and adds organic matter and nutrients. Just be sure to use finely shredded mulch on the soil surface only. You could also consider if Topsoil vs garden soil vs potting soil is something you could amend with. When is the Best Time to Add Nutrients to Soil At the beginning of the season you can add nutrients to soil with garden compost, chicken manure, well rotted manure (if you are sure its not contaminated with herbicides) to improve overall soil fertility. Phosphorus is also a good addition at the beginning of the season, as it promotes root growth. Early in the growing season is the perfect time to add nitrogen, which will help plants grow. Throughout the growing season is the perfect time to use liquid foliar sprays, like compost tea. Furthermore, to encourage your plants to set lots of fruit, adding organic materials rich in potassium are they way to go. At the end of the season, planting cover crops or green manures for nitrogen fixation, help replenish the soil for the next growing season. You can use them as a chop and drop or even till the organic materials in. Know Your Soil Type Before You Add Nutrients to Soil Let’s dig a little deeper. It is important to also know your soil type when looking at how to add nutrients to soil. Different soil conditions will require different soil amendments. What Type of Soil Do You Have? There are three main soil types to look at. Most natural soils will fall into one of these categories: loamy, sandy, or clay. Loamy Soil Loamy soil is the ideal soil to grow food in. It is made up of equal parts of sand, silt, and clay. It has good drainage, moisture retention, and is well aerated. Clay Soil Clay soil is made up of tiny particles that are tightly packed together. Plant roots and water have a hard time moving through clay soil. It dries out easily and is often as hard as a rock when dry. Growing the right crops in clay soil will also help improve the soil structure. Sandy Soils Sandy soils lack organic matter and nutrients. It drains really well but has to be continually fed organic materials to increase hummus and nutrients. Fixing Your Soil Type No matter what soil type you have you can always add nutrients to soil and amendments to improve it. Adding compost, mulching the soil surface, rotating crops, and growing cover crops as green manure are all things you can do to help fix problematic soil. Things to Avoid for Healthy Soil Avoid Overfertilizing, which can increase plant growth ahead of the root systems of young plants. Over Tilling, which can destroy soil structure and microbial life in the soil. The Best Plan on How to Add Nutrients to Soil In conclusion, adding nutrients and increasing organic matter levels in your garden beds is simple. Get to know your soil by doing a basic soil test. You can then choose your best option to amend your garden beds at the beginning of the season, mid season, and in between growing seasons. Now that you know how to add nutrients to soil, you’ll be well on your way to a healthy garden with our list of 20 organic garden amendments. You may also enjoy reading: The Ruth Stout Gardening Method: How to Make Gardening Easy Happy Homesteading & Gardening Jenny @ The GrahamStead Family Farm Jenny and her family have been homesteading for over 20 years. They are currently farming on their 10 acre Florida farm, that they built from the ground up, 8 years ago, growing 100% of their meat and a lot of their vegetables. From their small herd of Aberdeen Angus Cattle, Pastured Poultry, Sheep, and seasonal pigs, they are able to raise enough meat for the family while selling extra to the community. All the while, striving to butcher at home, as much as possible, and use the bits and pieces of their harvest by preserving food, making bone broth, and (Jenny’s favorite) tanning all kinds of hides! SOURCES: https://www.nesdis.noaa.gov/learn-about-soil-types Gardening Homesteading