My garden last year was not everything it could have and probably should have been. The most likely problem would be soil quality. Water is next, but I'll talk about that later.
My soil is very sandy and, at the beginning of the season, had very little organic material. I set about changing that with applications of as much compost as I could produce and thick layers of shredded leaves and pine needles as mulch, which I left to break down after the season.
This is how the first two inches of the improved soil looks now. It is a big improvement, but with such sandy soil, it will need continuous feeding with more compost and leaf material to keep it in good shape.
This area was trenched several inches deep at the end of the season, filled with a layer of raw compost materials and the shovels of soil replaced upside down in a simple lasagna gardening experiment. I'll dig down and see what I've got in a couple of weeks. I plan to do without tilling this year in any areas I can in order to preserve what soil ecology has built up since last year.
Every beginner's guide to gardening starts out with an admonition to test the soil, at least for pH. Last year I tried a simple home test using two jars of soil, one mixed with vinegar and the other with baking soda and water. If the first jar foamed after a time, the soil would be alkaline. If the second jar foamed, the soil would be acid. Neither happened, so I assumed my soil was neutral, although I never felt entirely convinced of that. I decided that I would invest in a soil pH meter.
I didn't want to waste money so I went online and did some research. What I found was that the test meters available in garden centers generally give good results and the only reason I could see for buying a more expensive one would be for applications such as orchids, which need fairly precise results.
Luster Leaf is a reputable brand available at big box stores, on Amazon and from many sources on eBay. I ran across nearly identical "unbranded" meters, but with no real difference in price, I figured I'd go with a known brand.
The two probes are made of different materials, the left is aluminum and the right is chromed. The tester comes with a small piece of green scrubby, which is used to polish the left probe before use to remove any oxidation.
I chose several areas to test. In the first step, the top inch or so of soil is scraped back and then an area five inches deep is worked up. The loosened soil is mixed into a wet slurry with water. The instructions recommend rainwater, but our well water seemed just as good, given the lack of added chemicals. Our water is slightly alkaline so I took that into account. Many of the available testers require taking jars of soil samples and testing them at a workbench, so this model seemed more convenient.
The probes are pushed into the soil and after a minute or two, the reading is checked.
The meter barely registered on the seven side of the line, a slightly high reading for most crops. The packaging includes a chart of best pH ranges for many common garden plants. The moisture setting worked well and I may begin to use it on a regular basis.
I may buy a kit for testing nutrients. They make meters for that, but they are unreasonably expensive for my purposes. The Rapitest Mini pH/Moisture meter seems a good investment at around $12.
My simple home test in the kitchen with vinegar and baking soda proved to be accurate, but is really messy for testing multiple samples.
Potatoes do best in an acid soil, so I'll begin spreading coffee grounds and shredded pine needles to help add some acidity. I'm better prepared for adding amendments now that I know what my soil needs.
I'll start broadcasting wood ash over the garden to add potash and other nutrients, and start spreading compost next week. Potato planting season will be here in no time and I need to be ready.
Stephen
Comments
Post a Comment