Waking the Soil Gently 💤 How To Prep Your Soil For Spring

Springtime doesn’t only wake up your plants! Your soil is doing the same… just like plants, soil experiences a form of dormancy in the winter—its microbial life slows down, nutrient cycling calms, and biological activity diminishes as temperatures drop. When spring warmth seeps into the ground, dormant microbes wake up. This means increased decomposition, recycling nutrients, and fueling the fungi and bacteria that build soil structure and fertility. Earthworms and other soil organisms become more active as soil warms, further aerating and enriching it with their castings.

Your soil waking up includes activating mycorrhizal networks that connect plant roots and nitrogen-fixing bacteria that replenish essential nutrients. This photo is actually of fungi NOT plant roots!

Spring Soil Tips Winter’s freezing and thawing cycles naturally aerate the soil, creating tiny fractures that allow in air, water, and nutrients. This process works much like mechanical aeration but without disturbing soil structure, making it a vital force in spring soil health. As the ground warms, you can work with these natural processes rather than against them by using gentle, soil-friendly techniques instead of tilling.

• Avoid tilling. We tend to promote no-tilling processes. But if you really want to do a fast edit deep into the soil profile, consider using a broadfork to loosen compacted areas without inverting the soil layers.
• Top-dress with compost to feed microbes and boost organic matter—this jumpstarts nutrient cycling and supports spring root growth.
• Refresh mulch to retain moisture, regulate temperature, and suppress weeds—keeping soil from drying out as temperatures fluctuate.
• Cut and drop cover crops instead of tilling—allowing plant matter to decompose naturally and enrich the soil without disruption.
• Leave last season’s mulch in place to protect emerging soil life—giving worms, fungi, and beneficial insects a stable environment to thrive.

If you aren’t already—get your own compost operation going! Not only is it waste reduction, it makes your spring soil refresh totally FREE. This spring, take a beat before reaching for heavy equipment and fertilizers. The soil is already doing the work—we can support, not disturb, the magic happening under our feet!