• Check for drainage – if drainage is poor, now is the time to fix it.
  
  
• Dig a test hole 12” deep, fill it with water and let it drain overnight.
  
  
• The next day, fill the hole with water again and see how many inches of water drain in an hour. Well-draining soil drains at a rate of 1-3 inches per hour.
  
  
• If drainage is poor, cultivate in composted organic material to improve conditions.
  
  
• Correct major drainage problems with a drain system, but never send the drainage to the gutter.
  
  
• Cultivate in soil amendments to at least 12” deep if you have poor soil fertility or structure (clay, rocky, hard).
  
  
• Consider purchasing topsoil to improve soil conditions for the long term. Cultivate it in to a depth of at least 6”; don’t just spread it on top.
  
  
• Grade your site to drain away from foundations and away from the curb. Runoff from irrigation or rain should drain to a catchment area where it can filter back into the ground

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