Things to do to prepare soil for first planting..a question.

[ShawtyCat]

New to gardening but definately know I must first prepare my soil before planting. What kind of gardening tools will I need? Should I take a trip to my local Home Depot first???

[Isa]

It really depends how big is your garden. If it's in container an old fork and spoon will do the work. If it's bigger, it might be whise to get a few basic tools.

[CalicoSkies]

I live in NC and one corner of my yard can have totally dif soil properties than another corner, so I always start with a soil test. Most nurseries will do them for you. I use a kit and do my own and then take the results to a trusted nursery who advises me on what soil conditioners to add. Usually its a bag or 2 of permatill (I have dense claylike soil and it needs to be lightened up) some manure, fertilizer and compost or bark chips. Sand makes a good mix in too.

Our Home Depot rents equipment, and just last weekend I rented a small rototiller and chewed up a good space for another perennial garden. It was only $18/4hrs and well worth it for the effort it saved me. I chewed up the space down at least 10-12inches then I tilled in bags of manure, 10-10-10, compost and permatill.

I dont go in for alot of expenive garden tools altho they are hard to resist. I have 2 shovels and 2 good rakes(one of which is only 6"wide and great for reaching between plants) and I just use old spoons and cups from my kitchen for other uses.