Take a handful of soil from planting depth and squeeze in the palm of the hand. Sandy soil should have sufficient moisture to maintain its shape once the hand is opened, even when the hand is gently rocked back and forth. With silt loam or clay loam, the gardener should be able to gently press a finger into the clump without it falling apart. Clay soils should mold into the shape of the hand squeezing it. Pre-irrigation also activates lime in the garden.
Limestone requires moisture to react.
To pre-irrigate, soak the dry garden with 1 inch of water, which soaks to a depth of about 6 inches. Once seeds or plants are in the ground, the area requires 1 inch of rain or irrigation each week. Nagel said soaker hoses and drip tubing are the most efficient means of watering gardens. Nagel said this year is a good year to try new seed varieties, noting that grape tomato seeds and gator green green beans are available to growers. Insect pressure will be intense this year because of the mild winter.