From Digging to Nurturing: Why Soil Health is the Key to a Thriving Garden

From Digging to Nurturing: Why Soil Health is the Key to a Thriving Garden
Once upon a time, I spent my days as an archaeologist, meticulously digging through layers of earth to uncover the past. My job was to unearth history, but in doing so, I never thought about what I was leaving behind—destruction. Soil relayered, stripped of its natural richness, exposed to the elements, and left depleted. Fast forward to today, and my approach to soil has completely transformed. Instead of disturbing it, I now do everything I can to build it up because, as a gardener and for what I need, I know that healthy soil is the foundation of everything.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that soil isn’t just dirt—it’s a living, breathing ecosystem teeming with microscopic life that directly impacts how your garden grows. It doesn’t matter how much you water, fertilize, or baby your plants; if your soil is poor, your garden will struggle. Understanding soil health is the first step toward a thriving, abundant garden, and today, I’m going to take you through exactly how to nurture it.
What Makes Up Good Soil?

Great soil isn’t just about looking dark and crumbly—it’s about what’s happening beneath the surface. Healthy soil is a mix of minerals, organic matter, air, water, and microorganisms, all working together to create an environment where plants can flourish.

Soil is composed of three primary components: sand, silt, and clay. The ideal garden soil, called loam, has a balanced mix of all three, allowing for good drainage while retaining enough moisture for plants to thrive. But that’s just the beginning.
The real magic in soil comes from organic matter—decomposed plant and animal material that provides essential nutrients. Organic matter feeds beneficial microbes, fungi, and earthworms, all of which help break down nutrients into a form that plants can easily absorb.

Then there’s soil structure—the way soil particles clump together. Good soil has a structure that holds moisture but drains well, allows roots to penetrate deeply, and creates air pockets for essential gas exchange. Without this, roots suffocate, water pools, and plants struggle.

Simply put, healthy soil is alive, and when you care for it, your plants will repay you with lush growth and abundant harvests. But how do you figure out what your soil needs? That leads us to the next step.

How to Figure Out What Your Soil is Missing

Before you start throwing compost and fertilizer into your garden, you need to understand what your soil already has and what it’s lacking. Many gardeners rely solely on soil tests, which are helpful, but they don’t tell the full story.

Yes, you can send off a sample for a lab analysis, which will give you detailed nutrient levels, pH balance, and organic matter content. However, there are also simple ways to read your soil without a formal test:
The Squeeze Test: Grab a handful of soil and squeeze it. If it crumbles apart easily, it has good structure. If it stays in a solid lump, it has too much clay. If it falls apart immediately, it’s too sandy.

The Worm Test: Healthy soil is full of life! Dig up a square foot of soil—if you find at least 10 earthworms, your soil is in great shape. If not, it may lack organic matter.
Water Absorption Test: Pour water onto a patch of soil. If it drains immediately, it’s too sandy; if it sits on top for a long time, it’s too compacted or high in clay.

Plant Observation: Your plants will tell you what’s missing. Yellowing leaves? Probably a nitrogen deficiency. Stunted growth? Poor drainage or compacted soil.
Once you understand your soil’s condition, you can take steps to improve it naturally. That means amending with compost, mulch, and organic natural occurring fertilizers based on what your soil actually needs.

How to Keep Your Soil Healthy All Season Long
Many gardeners focus on feeding their plants, but the secret to a thriving garden is feeding the soil. Soil is a living ecosystem, and if you take care of it throughout the growing season, it will continue to nourish your plants year after year.

One of the best ways to maintain soil health is mulching. Adding a layer of organic mulch—like straw, shredded leaves, or grass clippings—keeps moisture in, suppresses weeds, and slowly breaks down into the soil, adding nutrients over time.

Crop rotation is another important practice. Growing the same crops in the same spot year after year depletes specific nutrients while encouraging pests and disease. By rotating plant families each season, you balance the soil and reduce pest issues.

Another overlooked but powerful technique? No-dig gardening. When we till or turn soil constantly, we destroy beneficial microbes and fungi networks that help plants absorb nutrients. Instead, layering compost and organic material on top of your beds allows the soil to naturally develop rich fertility. This applies to raised beds too you know!

And, of course, the best way to keep soil healthy all season long is planting wisely—which leads us to companion planting.

Companion Planting for Soil Health
Soil health isn’t just about what you add to it—it’s about what you grow in it. Companion planting is a natural way to keep soil balanced, enriched, and teeming with beneficial microbes.

Some plants, like legumes (beans and peas), actually fix nitrogen into the soil, replenishing one of the most important nutrients for plant growth. Others, like deep-rooted plants (radishes, carrots), break up compacted soil, improving aeration and drainage for future crops.

Marigolds and other flowers bring in pollinators and beneficial insects, but did you know they also help reduce soil nematodes? Their roots release compounds that deter these tiny, destructive pests.

Growing a mix of shallow-rooted and deep-rooted plants together ensures that nutrients are pulled from different layers of soil, preventing depletion. For example, growing leafy greens like lettuce under tall tomatoes allows them to share space efficiently while benefiting the soil below. Or can I get a high five for strawberries and asparagus growing together.

By planning your garden with soil health in mind, you create a self-sustaining system that thrives year after year, with less work and fewer amendments needed.
Nurture Your Soil, and It Will Nurture You.

I spent years digging up soil as an archaeologist, never thinking about the damage I was doing. And part of that is just the way archaeology world. But now, as a gardener, I’ve come to appreciate soil as the most important aspect of any garden. When you take the time to understand, build, and maintain healthy soil, your garden will reward you in ways you never imagined.

So here’s my challenge for you: commit to growing with soil health in mind. Try companion planting, start a compost pile, or simply observe your soil before adding anything to it. If you’re not sure where to begin, I’d love to help! Book a garden coaching session with me, and let’s build a thriving, soil-rich garden together.