Quick Tip: Don’t Work Wet Soil

By Jennifer Poindexter

Soil is a vital part of gardening. Understanding when it’s best to work it and when you should leave it alone, is important to the overall health of your plants.

I’m going to walk you through why it’s important to only work soil when it’s dry instead of wet. This could be a game-changer for your garden if you’ve been handling soil that’s saturated.

Here’s why it’s best to work with dry soil when caring for crops or planting your garden:

Quick Tip – Don’t Work Your Soil When It’s Wet

When you’re planting your garden, it’s important to ensure plants receive the proper nutrients and drainage from the soil.

If the soil can’t provide these basic things, then your plants will most likely struggle. This is why it’s vital to wait until the soil dries before working it.

It can be tempting to jump into gardening as soon as the weather warms, even if you’ve experienced recent rainfall.

Avoid this temptation. Instead, wait until the soil dries beneath the surface before unearthing it. If you till wet soil it leads to compaction.

Soil should be well-aerated to provide adequate drainage. You want it to crumble in your hand like a fresh baked good.

If it’s compacted like a pancake, there’s no air pockets, so it’ll retain too much moisture. This could lead to root rot and other diseases which cause unhealthy plants.

Though it can be tempting to jump right into gardening no matter what your soil looks like, be patient. Provide your soil with enough time to dry out.

This leads to better aeration, better drainage, and healthier plants. Working wet soil can cause large ruts in your garden and discourage optimal health of your plants.