“There’s no such thing for me as just racing around sticking things in [planting]. I feel compelled to go with my bucket of leaf mold and my bags of finished compost and garden fertilizer, digging and improving each spot where a plant or group of plants is to go. And I DO know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that this practice of continuous feeding of the soil pays off.

“The soil is an entity, a complex organism made up of a host of living and non-living elements which work in concert to provide a medium for growth! It EATS the improvements you add, and when they are gone, you must add more!!

“This means that you are Never Done with soil improvement. You are on a permanent program of digging in tasty additions as you move around the garden planting, dividing, and replanting.”

By Peter J. Schenk, Jr., former AOL Gardening Forum Host (070698)