How to Know if Your Soil Needs a Boost
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A Faithful Check-In Beneath the Surface
Every summer, usually around late June, I hit a stretch where my garden just… pauses. Things slow down. Plants don’t look as vibrant. My watering schedule hasn’t changed, and the sun is still shining, but something feels off. For a long time, I assumed it was just the heat. But over the years, I’ve learned to tune in deeper—because more often than not, it’s the soil trying to tell me something.
In intuitive gardening, we learn to read not just the leaves or fruit, but the ground that sustains them. Soil is more than dirt—it’s a living, breathing ecosystem. And like any relationship, it needs attention and care to stay healthy. If your garden’s starting to look a little tired, it might be time to check in under the surface and ask: does my soil need a little boost?
🌾 Soil as a Covenant Partner in the Garden
In Rooted in Grace, I describe soil as part of the covenant relationship of the garden—it receives, nourishes, and returns. When we pour out effort—watering, planting, harvesting—without pausing to tend the soil in return, we begin to take more than we give. This guide isn’t just about productivity. It’s about faithful stewardship.
🧪 Signs Your Soil Might Be Tired
Plants don’t always complain loudly—but the subtle cues are there if you slow down enough to notice them. Here’s what I’ve learned to watch for:
| Sign | Intuitive Interpretation |
|---|---|
| 🟡 Pale or yellow leaves | Your soil may be low in nitrogen—a sign it’s been working hard without replenishment. |
| 🐢 Slow or stunted growth | A general nutrient deficiency or root zone compaction is likely. |
| 🍅 Poor fruit production | A lack of phosphorus or potassium can lead to blossoms without much follow-through. |
| 🏜️ Crusty surface | Your soil might be sun-scorched or depleted in organic matter. |
| 💦 Water runs off instead of soaking in | Indicates compaction or poor structure—your soil is resisting the gift of water. |
| 🐌 Mushy spots or persistent moisture | Too much watering or poor drainage; microbes may be imbalanced. |
👩🌾 The “Touch and See” Test (Trust Your Hands)
Sometimes, the best soil test is the one you do with your own hands and senses. Here’s how I do a quick check-in:
- Dig a handful from a few inches deep. Does it crumble or compact?
- Squeeze it. Healthy soil should clump slightly but break apart easily.
- Smell it. Earthy? Wonderful. Sour or stagnant? Something’s off.
- Watch for life. Worms, bugs, roots—life means balance. No movement might mean it’s time to restore.
🌿 You don’t need a lab to notice when something feels wrong—you just need to slow down and listen.
📋 Summer Soil Self-Check: Is It Time for a Boost?
Use this simple checklist to reflect on your garden’s foundation:
☐ My plants look pale, stressed, or “blah” despite consistent care
☐ My fruits are undersized, or flower drop is increasing
☐ I notice dry, cracking soil or soggy patches that linger
☐ I haven’t fed or mulched my garden in the past 4–8 weeks
☐ I’m prepping for a fall planting and want to get ahead
✅ If you checked two or more, your soil is probably ready for a refresh.
✨ Ways to Gently Replenish Summer Soil
This is where Attentive Stewardship meets Faithful Response. You’re not fixing a failure—you’re answering a need.
1. Top-Dress with Compost
I keep a small pile of compost behind the shed and use it like a blanket: 1–2 inches around each plant, watered in deeply. It’s the best all-purpose recharge you can give your soil.
2. Organic Fertilizers, Gently Applied
A 4-4-4 blend or even a fish emulsion once every few weeks can bring greens back to life without shocking them. Think of it as a little nudge, not a shove.
3. Mulch Like You Mean It
Straw, shredded bark, or even old leaves keep the soil cool and feed the microbes. It’s like putting the soil under a soft summer quilt. I never skip this in July.
4. Add Life with Worm Castings or Mycorrhizae
You don’t have to be fancy, but even a sprinkle of worm castings can restore microbial health. If your soil feels “dead,” start here.
📅 Preparing for Second Plantings? Time to Reset
Before planting beans, cucumbers, squash, or brassicas again, you need a healthy home for their roots. I treat my summer-to-fall transition like setting up a guest room:
| Step | What to Do |
|---|---|
| 🪴 Clear the old | Pull spent crops and toss diseased ones far from compost. |
| 🌿 Refresh the bed | Add 1–2 inches of compost, a light scratch-in of fertilizer. |
| 💧 Water in deeply | Activate soil biology by soaking and resting the bed for a few days. |
| 🌱 Replant with care | Sow seeds or tuck in transplants, then mulch and monitor. |
🙅♀️ Avoid the Overcorrection Trap
It’s easy to panic when things look off—but more fertilizer is not always better, especially in the heat. Overdoing it can burn roots or throw off balance. Instead:
- Choose slow-release, organic amendments
- Feed lightly, more often
- Let the soil breathe between interventions
Sometimes, restraint is the most intuitive move you can make.
🖊️ Reflect with a Soil Health Tracker
I created a printable to help you log what you observe, not just what you do. It includes space for noting soil feel, plant response, and what you’ve added or changed. Over time, these notes help build an internal map of your garden’s patterns and preferences.
🌺 Final Reflection
Healthy soil isn’t just the key to a good harvest—it’s a mirror of how we steward the unseen. In the garden, the most meaningful work is often done underground, slowly, faithfully, without applause.
When you take time to notice your soil’s needs and respond with intention, you’re living out the very heart of intuitive gardening. You’re nurturing the quiet foundation that makes everything else possible. And in doing so, you’re becoming more rooted, more present, and more attuned to the grace that grows slowly, in the dark, before bursting into fruit.
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