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| Spring garden bed and pots |
Soil is a living thing. It has millions of microbes, worms, and insects making their home in the dirt. Plants need nutrition, water, and living soil to bring the nutrients to the plants and keep the soil structure optimal. Like people who need more than just carbs, fats and protein for good health, plants need more than just NPK (nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium).
There are 5 major things to look at for support of plant health and growth in your garden:
pH-significant effect on what nutrients are available in the soil for the plant to access
NPK-the major three for soil fertility on a macro scale
Minerals-plants need a variety of minerals just like people do for optimal health
Soil tilth-everyone talks about loamy soil, one that is light with lots of organic matter
Soil microbes and worms-healthy living soil support
pH
The "ideal" pH for most garden vegetables is 6.5, slightly acidic. A pH test is always good to do. Most vegetables grow well in a pH of 6.5, which is slightly acidic. Anything below 6 is so acidic that it binds the minerals like phosphorous, potassium and calcium. Much higher than 6.5, the soil ties up iron and zinc. You can get a pH tester at any big box store or local nursery. They are super simple to do.
In general, gardens in rainy climates have acidic soil and those in arid are alkaline. To raise pH, lime is used. To lower pH, add organic matter.
NPK
The major nutrients that we are all most familiar with when it comes to fertilizing is NPK (nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium). These three elements are foundational to plant growth. They are the numbers you see in any bag of fertilizer, ie, 10-5-8 will be 10% nitrogen, 5% phosphorous, and 8% potassium.
Nitrogen supports green, leafy growth. Potassium supports strong stems, root development and seed and fruit development. Phosphorous encourages flower blooms and movement of water in the plant. Different plants require different amounts of each of these nutrients depending on if they are mainly grown for their foliage (like lettuce) or fruits (like tomatoes). Greens will use more nitrogen while fruiting vegetables need more phosphorous and potassium.
Make your own fertilizer, it's all natural and inexpensive
You can get an easy tester at any garden center or big box store to test your pH. You can also take a soil sample in to your local extension office and they'll test it for you.
County agriculture extension office locator
Minerals
Just like protein, carbs and fat are not the whole story of nutrition for us, NPK is not the whole story for plant health. Plants need a variety of minerals for optimal growth and resiliency against pests and drought conditions. I either use kelp meal when fertilizing or Azomite to get minerals in the soil. I make sure I am adding minerals in the spring and at least once in the summer. When the soil has more minerals, so the plants, and then so do our harvests and what we eat.
For more details on analysis of your garden soil and links to sites to help you get your garden in balance, see this blog:
The next step in garden production and your nutrition-soil minerals
Soil tilth/type
The "ideal" soil is one that is light and fluffy, but not sandy. You want soil that water doesn't just run through (like sand) or so dense that roots can't grow easily and water can't escape (like clay). If plant roots stay in water logged soils, they can't breathe and will rot. The way to get the optimal soil density is to add organic matter through mulch and compost. I do both.
I add mulch to keep the weeds down, keep the soil temperature steady, keep the soil moist in summer, and to add organic matter. Over the course of a 2-3 years, you will have a nice thick black layer of organic material plants love. Mulch also encourages earthworms which both till the soil making it loose for plant roots and adding nitrogen
Weed free, self fertilizing, till free garden beds
I also add compost. Before I was composting myself, I would buy compost and add a layer in the spring, then put down fertilizer and top with mulch to keep all the nutrients in the soil I now compost, but also buy composted horse manure from a nearby horse farm every other year.
Soil microbes and worms
You want a soil that is teeming with microbes and worms. Microbial diversity helps bring the nutrition to the plant, similar to the microbes in our digestive system. Good microbial population is helped by using compost and staying away from chemical fertilizers.
Worms are great for burrowing in the soil to make it nice and loose as well as fertilizing. One way to attract earth worms is to lay cardboard on the soil, then top with compost, fertilizer and mulch.
Getting good harvests depends on first having healthy, living, nutrient rich soils to support robust plants. The healthier the plants, the healthier the food we get from them. It is a win-win all the way around.
You really are what you eat! 
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