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Post by spike on Nov 9, 2017 11:02:29 GMT -5
I am putting this here (feel free to move) because it is a question about soil testing, fertilizer and my garden in general.
Once my Old Uncles passed on, I decided that since I am grown I can plant what I want (sticks out tongue) and switch things up. So I joined a couple forums about gardens and am just confused silly now.
My one Old Uncle bought 3 calves he was gonna raise for beef (until my Aunt named them HA). He had a large barrel that he would fill will the manure, mix with water (basically making a poop slushie) and that was our fertilizer. If a plant looked sad/peakid it got more water and poop slushie. In the fall leaves are raked up and put in the garden and tilled under. Food scrapes (not meat or fats) get tossed in the garden and tilled under.
Our family has been on this same land for over 100 years. What I grow, I can and we eat all winter. Since what has been working all this time just be left alone? Should I be soil testing? Do I need to soil test? Should I be using fertilizer? LOL should I just back away from the forums and stick with what I know. (Learning new stuff is confusing for me at my age >,< )
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Post by ladymarmalade on Nov 9, 2017 11:09:51 GMT -5
Well, I would say that if things are working for you, and you are not having problems then just let it be and not worry about it.
IF you notice a decline in something producing or say a portion of your garden is not as productive a it once was, then you might consider getting your soil tested.
Soil testing is a great way to see if there are any optimal nutrients missing, but for hundreds of years, people farmed the land without such tests.
As to fertilizer, your manure tea/leaf/compost program sure seems to be working just fine for you as well.
I'm a big fan of If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
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Post by paulf on Nov 9, 2017 11:21:01 GMT -5
Sounds to me like everything is under control. I would say that you do not NEED a soil test. And you are putting organics and fertilizer (the slushy) back into the soil. If it is up to your expectations, why mess. If it ain't broke don't fix it. Don't be confused, we could all learn from your family's successes. Since a good soil test is so inexpensive (I just sent mine in and the total was $15, $10 for the testing and $5 for shipping a couple pounds of dirt to the lab) it is an easy way to put my mind at ease that I am doing what needs to be done. I hear that the experts, whoever that is, do not recommend using raw sewage either human or farm animal on food plants, but that is another whole topic. I know lots of farmers who still use the old fashioned manure spreaders on their corn crops, but then we don't directly eat field corn. Lots of discussion points in all this. Please don't back away, I enjoy what you post.
Us oldsters need to help out all the young ones out there.
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Post by spike on Nov 9, 2017 19:46:56 GMT -5
Oh don't get your hopes up!! I am not going anywhere! I may confuse myself silly quite often but I have learned so very much from all of you!!
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Post by spacecase0 on Nov 9, 2017 20:18:54 GMT -5
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Post by paquebot on Nov 9, 2017 21:36:06 GMT -5
Throw out everything complicated. Everything worked before since what was being added was at least equal to what was taken out. As long as you can duplicate that, no problem. Huge garden fed an equally huge family on our home farm without soil tests or commercial fertilizer. Only thing that went in was horse manure and chicken manure. No compost but most kitchen scraps were processed by the chickens.
Without testing, and you just want to maintain fertility, see comments on fertilizer. One pound of 10-10-10 per 10 square feet is sufficient to maintain it under normal conditions.
Martin
The truth is more important than the facts.
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Post by meandtk on Nov 9, 2017 21:46:17 GMT -5
spike, I think the true issue is that we need to be asking questions of you. What you are doing has a century of success to back it up.
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