Kerry Hardy and Kristina King have a compact 1/3-acre garden in Rockland, Maine, that serves as an extended living space to their home and a yearlong source of heirloom vegetables, fruits, and flowers. (See their garden in "Down to Earth" on page 47 of the March 2008 issue of Country Home magazine.)

Kerry, an environmental educator versed in landscape architecture, and Kristina, a nurse-herbalist, work side by side in the tightly planted garden. Edibles and ornamentals thrive together in what Kristina calls their quilt garden. The interwoven planting scheme is an organic strategy that reduces pest damage by spreading crop plants throughout the garden instead of offering them up to a single tasty plot. The bugs here have to look harder to find what they seek, and the fragrances from mixed beds help stymie their search.

Kerry and Kristina till their garden by hand and swear by composting and earthworms. “Your soil is an ecosystem,” Kerry says. “You need to keep it alive and healthy.” Here are their tips on making the most of your garden’s foundation:

Making compost: Kerry advocates cold composting because it takes less effort than maintaining hot piles and cooler temperatures promote the growth of beneficial microorganisms. Big piles of organic matter at the rear property line decompose at a natural rate and yield about 15 wheelbarrow loads per year. Kitchen scraps, garden debris, and autumn leaves are main ingredients. “Maple leaves are like candy to worms,” he says.

Applying compost: Though Kristina and Kerry occasionally topdress beds with compost during the growing season, their main compost supplementing occurs in autumn, after spent plants have been removed. If paths are being relocated, Kerry turns soil over with garden forks to improve aeration. Otherwise, the couple spreads compost on top of existing soil and mulches over it. This keeps valuable compost from washing away. Evergreen boughs or seaweed collected from the beach after storms are their favorite materials for winter mulching.

Supplementing: Using no chemical fertilizers means relying on natural soil supplements, instead. Kristina mixes a wheelbarrow full of Azomite (a product made of ground up mineral-rich volcanic material), green sand, and rock phosphate. While Kerry turns over soil with a fork, Kristina follows, scattering the mixture across beds with an old yogurt container. “I wear a mask because the fine particles are easy to breath in,” she says.