Okay, would-be gardeners, let's talk soil. So many garden failures can be attributed to bad soil. It's like the wild west outlaw that comes in and steals all the good things from your plants. Good soil, on the other hand is like that wholesome wild west sherif who nurtures and cares for your plants. The white hat guy. Good vs. bad, get it?!

Anyway, the keys to good soil are: nutrients, aeration, and volume.

Nutrients come in many ways, fertilizers are a synthetic nutrient additive, you can also add nutrients by composting. The more organic material you have in your soil, the more nutrients you'll have. Nutrients give good soil it's rich dark color, so if your soil is very sandy, or very red, or black from clay. You'll want to add organic compounds to your soil. For many this is as easy as dumping your grass clippings into your garden plot and tilling them in. These will break down and add nutrients, you can also add fireplace ash and all the leftover veggies from the kitchen, like onion peels, and apple cores. Even your egg shells work great.