Because I am new to having my own garden I constantly have questions, lots and lots. For some questions I seek Google. For other questions I call my grandma or aunt. For different questions I ask the father-in-law. Sometimes I get questions answered by other gardening friends. Every once in a while I even figure things out on my own!
Tonight I started wondering about my soil. Here's what went through my gigantic brain...
What is in it?
What does it need?
What should be in it?
What needs to be added?
What was on top of, in, or around my soil before it was mine?
Can I do anything to make it 'better'?
How can I find out what it needs?
Then, the light bulb. I remember someone (I think my grandma) telling me about soil testing through the U of M Extension office. Sure enough I found the paperwork I needed to send in a sample. It all seems easy enough and the cost really could be worth the results. I just don't know if I have to do this to make my garden more efficient. Of course if I don't know what it needs or what it is lacking how can I make it the most efficient it can be? Seriously, gardening is almost more work and worry than a newborn!
Now I'm left wondering and looking for any and all feedback I can get... Is it worth the cost to send in a sample? Has anyone else sent in soil samples? What were the results and were they helpful?
Tonight I started wondering about my soil. Here's what went through my gigantic brain...
What is in it?
What does it need?
What should be in it?
What needs to be added?
What was on top of, in, or around my soil before it was mine?
Can I do anything to make it 'better'?
How can I find out what it needs?
Then, the light bulb. I remember someone (I think my grandma) telling me about soil testing through the U of M Extension office. Sure enough I found the paperwork I needed to send in a sample. It all seems easy enough and the cost really could be worth the results. I just don't know if I have to do this to make my garden more efficient. Of course if I don't know what it needs or what it is lacking how can I make it the most efficient it can be? Seriously, gardening is almost more work and worry than a newborn!
Now I'm left wondering and looking for any and all feedback I can get... Is it worth the cost to send in a sample? Has anyone else sent in soil samples? What were the results and were they helpful?
4 comments:
Thanks so much for your feedback! I completely agree with enjoying the garden, if I start to overthink it it may not be as fun. I was a little worried if I sent a sample in I would get a list of chemicals and/or fertizers to make my garden 'perfect'. However, I also refuse to put in chemical fertilizers, I truly can't understand why people do, it just doesn't make sense...
I have a few neighbors I should compare gardening with but they are also fairly new to game. I love experimenting with the plants and have started reading more about vertical gardening. My biggest (and most irrational) fear is that I'll change something and ruin a whole summer's worth of gardening on one mistake.
Because we are located in an old creek/river bed area and have a really thick clay for soil. I'm hoping I can find something to 'add' to make it more suitable for more varieties of veggies. It needs to be loosened up but I'm not sure with what...yet!
I've generally found the garden to be pretty forgiving. I usually put a ton of leaves into the soil every fall, but really any organic matter helps with clay. They say that if you put too much brown matter in (leaves or wood chips) it can suck nitrogen out of the soil as it decomposes, I've never noticed a problem and I use TONS of leaves... but I do give a generous helping of manure each spring, which has tons of nitrogen... grass clippings are a great source of nitrogen too.
The only things I've heard of that could damage the garden are grass clippings treated with certain herbicides, or even some manure if the animals have eaten grass treated with certain herbicides: http://orange.ces.ncsu.edu/files/library/68/Herbicide%20Carryover.pdf
I've never had a problem though. I generally get my manure from one of the local horse ranches and that way I can ask the owner to be sure.
The other thing I would be careful of is plants that are diseased or infested with bugs. Like if your tomato plants get a disease one year, don't compost the plants or you'll spread the disease to next year's crop, and if your broccoli gets infested with aphids, don't compost those plants either because the bugs might survive the winter and infest next year's crop.
I'll be moving into new accommodation with a large garden that the landlord has permitted me to grow on. I will be like you wondering about the soil. i don't know if I'd sent of a sample though, I think you can purchase soil testers from gardening centres, so I think I will be doing that. Anyway, new to your blog and will look forward to reading of your growing ventures.
I'll have to check our greenhouses in the spring and see if they have testers. That would be much easier. Thanks for stopping by!
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