Custom Weed & Pest Control has been in business since 1989, serving the greater Phoenix metro area for both residential and commercial. We offer organic, natural and chemical pest control, with customized service to meet your specific needs. VISIT SITE http://wekillweeds.com CUSTOM WEED & PEST CONTROL Phoenix AZ 85044 602-956-3844 623-376-7743 info@wekillweeds.com

3. No matter the weather
or the sun exposure,
your garden isn't going
to do that well if the
soil isn't in good shape.

4. If you want a healthy
garden that produces
pretty flowers and
plump vegetables and
fruits, you have to get
the soil ready.

5. This can take some
time, and it's best to
start early.

7. In order to get the soil
into great shape, you
need to know what
you're dealing with.
You can find that out
by ordering a soil test.

8. You could get these tests
through university
cooperative extension
offices (the agricultural
extensions, not the
continuing-ed type of
extension), garden centers
or private labs.

9. These tests tell you what
the composition of the
soil is like, including the
nutrients that are
present or absent at the
time of testing, as well
as the pH of the soil.

10. If you want to know about
more detailed analyses,
such as chemical
pollution, you'll need to
ask your cooperative
extension about getting
the soil checked for those.

12. Once you know what the
soil is like now, take a look
at the pH, or the acidity of
the soil.

13. The preferred pH varies
among plants; for
example, blueberries
prefer mildly acidic soils,
while certain lilac cultivars
prefer alkaline soils.

14. If you're planning to plant
something that needs a
pH that is different than
what you have, you need
to amend the soil to
adjust the pH.

15. Common amendments
include sulfur to make the
soil more acidic, and lime
is good for making the soil
more alkaline.

16. These take time to work,
so apply them as soon as
you can, and retest the
soil to check the progress
of the pH change.

18. Another step to take is to
create raised beds that let
you add planting mixes
and topsoil as a way to
increase the health of the
garden.

19. If your soil test revealed
that the soil was very
poor, or if the ground is
very rocky, a raised bed
allows you add nutritious,
clean soil in a thick layer,
improving the planting
bed immediately.

21. How big a role compost
and fertilizer play in your
garden will vary based on
soil health and what you
plan to plant.

22. In general, adding
compost increases
nutrition. Your soil test will
also reveal the ratios of
nitrogen, phosphorus and
potassium …

23. … and you can adjust
those with fertilizer that is
composed in specific
proportions.

25. Are you going to plant in
rows?
In square-feet grids?
Or in another pattern?

26. Choose your planting
plan carefully, but don't
be afraid to experiment.

27. Check your cooperative
extension's website for
suggestions.

28. It's easy to get
overwhelmed with planting
and creating a garden, but
the truth is, it's not that
hard if you take it slowly
and treat it as a long-term
experiment.

29. If you need help, we will
do your soil analysis and
let you know what will
work best.

30. If you can’t get a handle
on it, or would rather
have someone else do the
dirty work, give us a call.

31. If you can’t get a handle
on it, or would rather
have someone else do the
dirty work, give us a call.

32. Custom Weed & Pest Control
has been in business since
1989, serving the greater
Phoenix metro area for both
residential and commercial.

33. We offer organic, natural
pest control, with
customized service to
meet your specific needs.