Our Secret to Beautiful Garden Beds: Soil Prep!

An integral part of many of our landscaping projects are the plantings – they add visual interest through color, texture, size, and shape – but without the proper soil preparation, the plants might not get the proper nutrients and drainage to thrive.

With each project, before we start any planting, we'll take out any existing plants in the area, and then remove some of the soil; this Inver Grove Heights yard had soil consisting of clay and rock – that's not going to help the plants flourish!

Next, we'll add in a garden mix, which has peat, topsoil, and sand – this provides the proper soil amendments and has good drainage. While black dirt can be used to grade yards for sod, it doesn't have very good drainage, so you wouldn't want to use it in your garden beds. A garden mix is the way to go!

After we add in the garden mix, we till the bed so all the nutrients can get mixed in, the soil can be aerated, and any large or hard clumps can be broken up.

With the tilling complete, we're ready to start smoothing out the soil, planting the bed, and adding a layer of mulch.

This is our tried-and-true method that has made our plants healthy and our customers happy!