Amend the soil from the holes
The most important thing you can ever do before installing plants is to amend the soil from the holes with a 50/50 mix of native soil and an organic soil amendment.
Organic amendments help to attract earthworms, which will help ease compaction. This helps to allow more oxygen and nutrients into the root zone.
Over time, poor soil can be compacted again if precautions aren’t taken. This can lead to crusting and the soil drying out faster. We recommend applying a pelletized gypsum product to the soil twice a year. It helps to bind smaller soil particles into larger ones, which helps to open up the soil, making it more porous.
Your plants and soil will also benefit from a 2-3″ layer of mulch. It will keep the moisture in the soil longer, cut down on weeds, and keep those earthworms happy!