Hands down, it is the most important part of your garden, and it can absolutely make or

break your growing success. We're talking about, you guessed it, soil. And in today's episode,

I'm going to show you how you can not only figure out what type of soil you're dealing with,

because that's something a lot of people don't really understand the importance of,

but I'll also share some simple things that you can do right now to drastically improve your

chances of long-term garden success. You're listening to the old-fashioned on-purpose podcast

where ambitious people master the art of returning to their roots. Have you found yourself

disenchanted with society or wishing you could opt out of the rat race? Perhaps you're craving a

life that's meaningful and tangible, a life where you can create and produce instead of merely

consume. I'm Jill Winger, best-selling author and long-time home center. Over the last 10 years,

I've helped thousands of families create more connection, grow amazing organic food,

and find the ultimate fulfillment through an old-fashioned lifestyle, and I can do the same for you.

Now on to our episode. So I think it's really common as gardeners, and we first start out,

or maybe even a few years down the road, it's easy to take soil for granted. I know I totally did that

when I first started our garden here on our homestead. I found my spot, I'd we dug it up,

I raked out the rocks, and I started sticking seeds in the ground. And I took zero thought about what

earth I was planting in. I thought dirt is dirt, and I'm just going to do my thing. Now interestingly

enough, that actually worked out for me. I had some great gardens in those early years, even though

that's what I like to call unconscious competence. I had no idea what I was doing,

but the garden can be really forgiving. And it's also amazing to be how this topic of garden can be

extremely complex. We can talk about biology and microorganisms and soil composition, all the

stuff, but it also can be incredibly simple, so much so that a child can grow food, or even a

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