An important element in organic gardening is managing its health. A healthy, home organic garden starts with healthy, natural, virgin soil. Soil is the foundation on which your garden grows. Its composition can help or hinder plant growth. The site you select for your organic garden should not have been previously used for a garden where chemical fertilizers or pesticides were previously used. It should also not be the site of a treated lawn, where chemicals were previously applied.

You could say building soil is the defining act of organic gardening. Soil is composed of clay, sand and silt and the ratio varies from area to area. Adding organic matter improves any soil's texture as well as attracting soil organisms that create nutrients in the soil.

Feed the soil and the soil feeds the plants. Healthy soil promotes strong vigorous plants that are more capable of resisting insect and disease problems. Ideal garden soil is dark-colored, smells kind of sweet, compresses into a loose lump in your hand when moist, and is full of earthworms.

An organic gardener uses natural mineral and organic fertilizers to build up the soil. Chemical fertilizers and insecticides are not used, because these artificial stimulants and disinfectants compromise the desire for good soil and can also be dangerous. Water pollution from fertilizer and spray runoff reflect some of that danger.

Compost is by far the best fertilizer for your soil. You can use ordinary household waste such as fruits, vegetables, lawn clippings, coffee grinds and even hair and dryer lint in your compost bin. The more variety of ingredients, the better the results of your composting. Learning which plants grow best in which type of soil will allow you to drastically cut down the maintenance of your garden as the years pass.

Mixing compost and natural soil amendments with your soil is of great importance to your success as a gardener. It improves soil structure, texture and aeration; helps maintain a neutral pH, adds needed nutrients for plant growth and allows the soil to hold more water, which is a good thing if you live out here in the arid West.

Certain soils may need even more of a boost than a regular, liberal dose of compost can provide, but before you add anything else to your soil, get a soil test - you'll find a lab in your area where you can get a low cost test .

The results of your test will tell you the soil's pH and what nutrients are out of balance. Soil pH is an indication of the alkalinity or acidity of soil. It is based on the measurement of pH, which is based in turn on the concentration of hydrogen ions (H+) in a water or salt solution. The pH scale ranges from 0 to 14, with 7 as neutral. Numbers less than 7 indicate acidity while numbers greater than 7 indicate alkalinity.

The pH of a soil is one of a number of environmental conditions that affects the quality of plant growth. Many plants and soil life forms prefer either acid or alkaline conditions that some diseases tend to thrive when the soil is alkaline or acidic, and that the pH can affect the availability of nutrients in the soil.

When choosing plants for your garden. Get a sense of what pH levels they require. If your soil pH is dramatically different from the requirements of the plants, your garden plants may suffer from more problems with pests and diseases. Check your soil pH and correct the soil pH when necessary.