Another spring and growing season is upon us, with many people prepping their vegetable gardens for planting or anxiously adding various new plants to their landscapes. Traditionally, the first chore of growing vegetables, flowers, or shrubs has been to break up that hard Alabama ground to help plants thrive better. This means getting the tractor, tiller, or shovel out to loosen the soil upon planting. Or if the dirt is really bad, then the native soil must be amended so that it can sustain plant life.

Many people claim they do not have a green thumb and can’t grow anything. That might be true, as some folks just seem to have it or they don’t. Regardless of what color your thumb might be, the fact is any success must begin with the foundation – it all starts with the soil. Poor soil will always equal poor results. Many areas of East Central Alabama simply have hard ground, rocky soil, or nothing but red mud. These are not ideal conditions.