The Sticks & Stones Of Preparing Your SoCal Soil.

My favorite cultivating tool…The Garden Claw from Lowe’s

My mother couldn’t wait until “Tillin’ Day.” That’s what she called the day we could get the rototiller out and dig up the ground in preparation of planting. She was like a kid on Christmas, and if my father wasn’t fast enough in getting the machine out and ready for her, you’d find her in the barn digging it out and cursing like Mary Poppins might. It was cute, actually.

I don’t know anyone with a rototiller here, since our spaces are so small, but tilling is just the same. We just use different tools to do it.

Cultivation.

Basically, you want to prepare your soil at least a week in advance of planting, such as adding compost, hoeing and removing weeds. Sometimes this isn’t an option, kind of like you ‘should’ sleep when baby sleeps. Yeah, that’s just not always how it can work. So, if you want to get the garden in and don’t have an enormous amount of time to devote, just do what you can in the time you have!

Yes, these are rocks the kids help me find

The problem that I have found in my Burbank backyard, is that the soil is full of, and I mean FULL OF rocks and roots. I’ve been in this house for 8 years and I’ve never, not once, dug into my garden and not found rocks and roots to remove. It’s important that you remove as much as you can, as these will hinder the roots of the plants proper growing.

Not all vegetables have deep roots, but removing as much as you can will greatly increase the chances of a successful harvest.

Of course, if you’re using a raised box for planting, this will not be a concern, depending on the soil you choose to use.

Every year, if I’m not adding compost from my Earth Machine I got from the city, I like to use Amend. This product is something I find at Lowes. Once I have gone through my area of planting (or rather have my children go through it like good little boys and girls) I add Amend at least to the areas of planting. This is an organic product I really love. It’s safe for all flowers, fruits and veggies.

 For my potted flowers, I do like to use Miracle Grow, because, well, it works! And since we’re not eating the flowers, I’m very OK with using MG. They do have organic options as well.

Gardening is a family affair. Give ’em some gloves and let them go!

Basically, be sure to understand the kind of soil you’re working with. If you can ball a fist of soil in your hand and it can’t keep it’s shape, it probably has too much sand in it.
Adding organic material can help, such as that compost I mentioned before or Amend, or maybe you have a favorite trick you do..please share!

Once you know your soil is ready to go, it’s time to start planting.

Lowe’s really is a great place to start. We have some smaller, more local options here in Burbank as well. However, over the past several years of planting this garden, I have simply found that Lowe’s has the biggest selection with the most affordable prices for that selection.

My planted garden comes next…Happy Tillin’!

Lowe’s Home Improvement – Empire Center
2000 W Empire Ave, Burbank, CA 91504
(818) 557-2300
Mon – Sat 6 AM – 10 PM, Sun 7 AM – 9 PM