|
…..
May 18, 2021 15:26:17 GMT -5
Post by paulf on May 18, 2021 15:26:17 GMT -5
After a professional soil test, I purchase the necessary nutrients called for. Almost always this sulphur in one form or another. My garden also has the mulch used tilled under in the fall. Since this is newspaper and straw, I guess the straw is a purchased item. Paper and straw add to the organics much like compost.
My annual purchases for chemicals and mulch totals to about $50 for a 50 foot by 50 foot garden including seldom used insecticide which is not a food, but sometimes necessary so we can harvest our foodstuffs.
|
|
|
…..
May 18, 2021 15:38:02 GMT -5
Post by brownrexx on May 18, 2021 15:38:02 GMT -5
According to my soil test, my garden has an excess of all nutrients so no fertilizer is needed with the exception of Nitrogen since it is so volatile. They do not even test for Nitrogen levels on soil tests.
I add feather meal which is 12-0-0 in my planting holes.
|
|
tallpines
Pro Member
Posts: 298
Zone:: 4a
Favorite Vegetable:: This week, it’s Rhubarb
Joined: February 2019
|
…..
May 18, 2021 22:37:27 GMT -5
Post by tallpines on May 18, 2021 22:37:27 GMT -5
Because of the permanence of my pole bean supports, the beans get planted in the same spots each year. My beans always grow really well. But ..... shouldn’t I be adding something in the area to assure continuing good growth? The veggies I always have trouble with are root veggies. Cannot grow any decent carrots, or, beets if my life depended on it! However ..... I do get some decent ‘beggies ..... and my potatoes are usually good. A professional soil test about 5 years ago showed everything “off the charts”. Except for a ‘p’ word. Forget if if was potassium or phosphate...... Added it at that time. Have not tested since then. These are raised beds that were filled with 100% leaf compost .......for following 3 years, as the new soil (compost) settled, the boxes were all topped off with more of the same compost. Then ..... no additions for the next few years. Now it’s time to add more ...... mostly to increase the depth ...... as the leaf compost continues to break done. I am not a knowledgeable gardener so hope you will give me advice. Should I add more leaf compost? Horse Manure? Soil? I dread the thought of adding “weed seeds” to my raised beds. What about Miracle Grow? What is its purpose? Do you ever use it? And then ..... I worry about new threats of ‘jumping worms’ coming from purchased composts and soils. They are finding them in Minnesota ..... and .... spreading fast. Plant swaps, Farmers Markets ....... most anywhere plants (soil) are sold or swapped. Link on Jumping Worms (NOT beneficial to gardens) jwp.cfans.umn.edu/meet-jumping-worm.
|
|
|
Post by paquebot on May 18, 2021 23:46:19 GMT -5
Interesting that you mentioned jumping worms. Friend in Chapel Hill, NC just discovered them in her compost a couple days ago. We also have them here but not at my place yet.
Beans in same place? I also have two permanent pole bean structures. Both get either compost, horse manure, or both annually. So far thee plants have always eaten it up every year.
Your "P" is phosphorus. That can be corrected with lots of leaves or leaf-based compost. You won't get much from pine needles. (Oak leaves have 3 times as much.) However, if straight shredded leaves are used, a nitrogen source must also be added like manures. My organic choice is Milorganite if freshish manure is not available. That is also used to side-dress onions and garlic right about now.
Nothing wrong with Miracle Grow as a supplement if not enough nutrients were added to start with. Read the instructions and use accordingly. With the sorry state of the community gardens soil, that was the "quick kick" of choice by many.
Martin
The truth is more important than the facts.
|
|
|
Post by brownrexx on May 19, 2021 7:20:50 GMT -5
I have a lot of clay and rocks in my soil so when I had trouble growing carrots it was mostly due to the soil structure. I have been amending my soil over the years with lots of compost and mushroom soil among other things. I now grow only shorter carrots like Danvers Half Long to keep the roots above the clay layer and this helps a lot.
I have also noticed that when growing root crops, thinning the seedlings at the outset is important or you will not end up with very good sized roots.
Some people swear by adding fertilizers but if you are unsure, I would recommend a professional soil test to see exactly what you need. My soil test was only $9 plus postage at PA State University's Lab.
|
|
|
…..
May 19, 2021 9:14:10 GMT -5
Post by Laura_in_FL on May 19, 2021 9:14:10 GMT -5
I have also noticed that when growing root crops, thinning the seedlings at the outset is important or you will not end up with very good sized roots. I made that mistake (thinning late) this year and my carrots were disappointing.
|
|
|
Post by spike on May 19, 2021 9:47:45 GMT -5
Oh Girl! I feel your pain. Not so much rocks but I swear I could throw pots or make adobe bricks Gave up on carrots/beets/potatoes etc Now I grow those in tubs instead.
|
|
|
Post by paulf on May 19, 2021 10:50:44 GMT -5
Because our native soil is called sugar clay, aka Loess which is ancient wind blown soil from volcanic action in the Rockies a million years ago that was deposited along the Missouri River Basin, root crops do not do well here. Sugar clay is very fluffy when dry but very heavy when wet. We could throw a pot except when it dried it would crumble back to fluff. As soon as we began raised beds, carrots and beets really improved. In the beginning we used native soil as a base and added soilless mix on top of that. As the growing medium sank we added a mixture of compost and more soilless mix. Every year we scratch in some 10-10-10 fertilizer to keep the nutrient level up.
So you would be OK to add all the items you listed. Be sure that the horse manure is well aged. Some say manures should not be used on food products because of the pathogens, but well aged and composted IMO is safe as long as the vegetables are washed before consuming.
We use Miracle-Gro for a boost if needed, especially on flowers, but also on the raised bed vegetables. We use the regular in the beginning since it is high nitrogen but then switch to the lower N, higher P and K formula called "Bloom Booster". Since the Miracle-Gro brand is usually higher in price we have gone to some of the other brands of plant food, Schultz and Expert Gardener.
the only reason we can grow potatoes is because they are planted in a trench and then topped with straw and sprinkled with compost rather than buried in the sugar clay.
|
|
|
…..
May 20, 2021 0:02:15 GMT -5
stone likes this
Post by paquebot on May 20, 2021 0:02:15 GMT -5
I would not worry about getting jumping worms from commercial compost. For that matter, I have never bought any. You know that I make my own but have brought home broken bags from Jung's. Oddly enough, I swear that almost every bag of anything has one nettle seed!
For horse manure, there is no secret compartment in their digestive tract that produces weed seeds. The bulk of the seeds come from the straw bedding. I have 5 sources of anywhere from steaming-fresh to coal-black. Will haul from 3 of them for friends in the toxic dump/community gardens but not for here. The other two come to here. The first 3 use a lot of straw and their piles are quickly green. The other two use either sand or sawdust.
Now, you want to know how this can be used to feed vegetables after they are up? One can get all tied up with compost tea and go mad trying to figure it out. Get some horse manure maybe a month removed from the horse. loosely fill 5-gallons with it and add water to the top. Let it sit for a couple days and make a thick slurry. Use that to side-dress your plant rows. Hoeing it in is optional but not needed. The nutrients will seep down to the feeder roots.
Yes, I have done that and it works.
Martin
The truth is more important than the facts.
|
|
stone
Pro Member
Posts: 170
Zone:: 8
Favorite Vegetable:: Bambi
Joined: December 2011
|
Post by stone on May 20, 2021 8:37:43 GMT -5
I've had a lot of trouble with my root crops... Mostly due to the voles. The cat herd helps a lot!
Personally, I would not continue to plant the same things in the same places. Once you get problems specific to that crop... Expect to keep having issues! most crops tend to like being moved around anyway.
I grow my beans on tepees, and they move around fine. I make tepees by shoving bamboo poles through the wire in my homemade tomato cages.
The fence does get permanent plantings... usually stuff like climbing roses, hardy orange trees and matelea vines.
As to what to add to the soil? I would avoid chemicals of any kind. While chemical fertilizer works very well when you first use it, they tend to destroy the tilth of the soil and kill the micro-organisms... we need those! After using chems for a few years, It starts being necessary to use increasingf amounts to achieve less and less.
Much simpler to grow natural from the start!
I like horse poop, I like the stuff that my chickens produce... I feed them all the garden debris, and they turn it into ready to use compost. I don't have to worry about it burning plants, because it is mostly plant material.
I'm jealous of your clay!
|
|