UMW Director of Landscaping and Grounds Holly Chichester was interviewed for a story in The Free Lance-Star entitled “Gardeners gear up for veggie-planting season.”
Holly Chichester, director of landscaping and grounds at the University of Mary Washington, said backyard gardeners have a better chance for success if they build raised garden beds, where they can more easily control the quality of the soil within the garden and the amount of nutrients that go into it.
“Great soil makes great plants, so it definitely starts from the ground up,” Chichester said.
She said a blend of compost or manure can be mixed with gardening soil, but said there may be a need to add lime, alkaline, slow-released fertilizer or acidifiers after a soil sample is taken and its results are analyzed by experts.
“If (the garden) has been successful in the past and suddenly it’s not, or if it’s been waning over the last couple of years, a soil sample is going to tell you everything you need to know,” Chichester said. Read more.
