Soil is the foundation of wellness that influences the success of the crops that are being grown and how much it can yield for the summer in the organic vegetable garden with companion planting.

Why is pH important?
The pH of the soil is important to identify if the soil is acidic or alkaline? Are the strawberries growing in the garden? That is a sure sign of acidity. Is the site surrounded by cedar trees? Acidity. Are dandelions growing? That is a sure sign of alkalinity. Slightly alkaline is the best pH for the soil to have in the garden. Earthworms find slightly alkalinity to be ideal conditions to help nourish the soil by getting nutrients ready for the plants to use it to grow vegetables, herbs and flowers for us to utilize their nutritional benefits in healthy recipes. When in doubt, send a soil sample to your local agricultural office or university to get results for the pH of your soil (a chemical breakdown of the soil)

3 Basic types of soil
There are 3 basic types of soil: clay, loamy and sand. To identify the type of soil you are dealing with, grab a handful of moist soil from the area where the garden is going to be. Roll it into a ball shape.
Clay Soil
If it stays formed and is sticky, that means the soil contains clay. This soil tends to stay water logged and cracks when it dries. Clay soil needs attention with generous amounts of organic matter to break up the density, creating air space for the seeds to grow.
Sandy Soil
When rolling a handful of moist soil into a ball. The shape will quickly fall apart. That means the soil does not hold water well. Sandy soil needs large amounts of organic matter added to it to make it nutritious enough for seeds to germinate and sustain the crop while flowering, turning into a vegetable.
Loamy Soil
When rolling a handful of moist soil into a ball. The shape will hold but will fall apart. That means the soil is a mixture of clay and sand which is the preferred soil to grow organic vegetables, herbs and flowers.

What color is your soil?
The color of the soil depends on the mineral content. Soil that is pale/ white has very little nutritional value. Light brown and orange soil has a small amount of nutritional value and the dark brown and almost black soil is the richest in nutritional value, ready to be used for growing. The lighter the soil the more it need attention for nutritional help.

What additives to use for nutrition to get the soil healthy?
All soil can be improved by adding a method of mulching to the soil in your organic garden.
What is Mulch and benefits when using it
Mulch is organic matter that is placed on the soil to protect it. Any organic matter like leaves, straw, hay, paper, cardboard. Anything that can be shredded into small bits and that will decompose. The benefits of mulch in the organic garden are many. It will keep moisture in the soil; keep the weeds under control while feeding the soil nutrients, making this method very productive.
Green Mulch and benefits to using it
Green mulch keeps the soil covered by using the weeds that grow in the garden. First pull the weeds out, cut off the root and lay the green plants on the soil. Benefits of using green mulch that covers the soil with living plants is that you need not worry about erosion. Green mulch holds the soil in place while depositing it's nutrients back into the soil. The green plants fix elements in the soil to improve it. Alfalfa, clover and mustard are excellent examples of nitrogen fixers (nitrogen is vital to good plant growth) and are used to improve the soil.
Liquid Manure and benefits to using it
Making liquid manure is a way to provide plants with a fast liquid nutrient. The process involves rotting plants and/or manure in water (this is rather smelly). Use a bucket with a tight fitting lid, suspend a sack of plant matter and manure in water. Allow this to rot for 2 -3 weeks and it is ready to use to feed your organic garden. Dilute the liquid manure in a ratio of 1:10, feed this mixture to the plants that you have transplanted or plants that are ailing.
Composting and benefits when doing it
Composting is the process of recycling organic matter from the kitchen and organic matter from the garden together, allowing it to decompose in order to create new soil with high content of nutrients. A benefit of composting is having your own personal supply of healthy, organic soil on hand. Knowing exactly what ingredient was added when making the compost.

Weeds growing in the soil
Most of the "weeds" in the garden are some kind of soil indicator. Weeds add micro-nutrients to the soil, and help to restore a natural balance. Weeds are useful mulch materials, and should be green mulched on the spot

To keep an organic vegetable garden soil fertile is dependant on good soil nutrition. Look out for earthworms in particular; they are good indicators of soil health. If you have no earthworms, go out and find some immediately to assist the soil working properly.

Author's Bio

Jeannine Davidoff is a mother, artist, writer, organic gardener, permaculture consultant, yoga teacher, freelance journalist living in Scottburgh, South Africa. My 21st century focus is on communicating knowledge and sharing my art. I have a blog that shows my collection of growing art, poetry and writings. I have a companion planting blog that describes individual plants,how they grow, their companion plants and antagonists, their herbal uses and nutiritional value.
In a series of articles, I'll explain How to Start an Organic Garden in 5 Important Steps. How to intergrate Organic Gardening with Companion Planting. What organic means and the benefits of having an organic garden companion planting.

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