Starting a garden

Question

I’m starting a small garden in my backyard to grow herbs and such for medical purposes and I don’t know what soil to use. I dug out a square plot within my grass backyard and I built a wooden border to separate the grass from the garden. To keep everything as organic as possible I don’t want to use the dirt that lies in the plot at the moment, as I fear the years of fertilizer and other chemicals that’s been seeping into the dirt will have a bad effect on the plants. As this is my first time, I do not know what mixture to use or basically what to do at this point. Advice would be very helpful, thank you!

Answer 1

What a great gardening project!

You may not need to replace the soil, but only amend it for the best start to a new garden.
You should start with a soil test.
This is the only way to know what is really going on in the soil.
Your local County Extension Office can help you with a soil test for a small fee.

I'm listing a link to help you locate your nearest office and several articles that will help you get started with your Herb garden!

https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/extension-search/
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/garden-how-to/soil-fertilizers/testing-soil.htm
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/herbs/hgen/plant-herb-garden.htm
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/herbs/hgen/edible-herb-garden.htm
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/herbs/hgen/general-care-for-your-herb-garden.htm
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/herbs/hgen/learn-more-about-herb-gardens.htm