Guest guest Posted October 18, 2003 Report Share Posted October 18, 2003 >Allan or others, > >I am a backyard organic gardener and avid composter. How can I be sure that >my garden soil contains the proper amounts and/or balance of minerals? It's >time to put it to bed in preparation for next year. > >Kathy The best thing is to get a good, professional soil test from an albrecht lab. Such a test will cost you about $60, but it will give you vital information for growing healthful food that you won't find from a 'free' state test, which assumes that you will really be feeding the plants from chem. nutrients in water. If you need a lab, I can recommend one. The Albrecht method balances the soil in such a fashion that the nutrients from the parent rock becomes more available and you spend less money for compost and nutrients later. As far as the compost, a soil food web test is probably the most valueable since it is the microbial population that makes the nutrition in the soil available to your plants. try elaine ingham at www.soilfoodweb.com And, feel free to ask me any other questions. -Allan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 13, 2004 Report Share Posted March 13, 2004 June, I have loved to garden since I was a small girl. My Grandmother had a wonderful garden that was pictured in the Buffalo News each year. She didn't have any weeds in it that I ever saw and there were flowers from spring till fall always blooming. She had a rose garden with a trellis and a vegetable garden. I always wanted to have one like hers. I am still learning about gardening too although I do love to do it...lol I sometimes think I am pulling out plants because i am not sure whether they are weeds or not. My garden was small up till last year when my husband enlarged it...now it takes up 1/3 of my front yard but I will have fun with it. He enlarged it because he thought it was crowded...probably was but now more work but eventually I will have it crowded again and he will probably make the whole front yard my garden...lol I am still getting used to Oklahoma soil and weather and am not sure yet when to plant my vegetables but I just got my seeds from Burgess and am going to start my seedlings in the house. I love working in my gardens and know that they are one of the things that keep me going... God bless, Althea > [Original Message] > From: June Dixon <juner24@...> > < > > Date: 3/12/04 3:04:38 PM > Subject: [ ] Gardening > > Althea, I just began to take an interest in gardening 3 years ago and I have come to really enjoy it. Hubby bought me a 4 wheel gardening cart, with adjustable seat and a shelf underneath to hold all my tools. Right now I have several little pots of seedlings growing under lights in the basement. I still don't really know a lot about gardening but I just love to take cuttings and see if I can get them to grow. My friends are avid and knowledgeable gardeners and they keep me supplied with plants. All my tools are very small(the kind you might use inside) but they do the job. It is relaxing to be outdoors on a nice day and ponder your thoughts while tending to your plants and appreciating the colors of the sky and surroundings. My family used to tease me that my talents began and ended in my office, now they are delighted I have found something to do besides walking on the treadmill and cleaning the house. > > Hugs > June > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 4, 2005 Report Share Posted February 4, 2005 Jim, Thanks for the greeting. I too look forward to the crocuses. It sometimes seems like they don't stand a chance with all of the snow. There's still at least a foot of snow on top of my flowerbeds. But I patiently wait. Elaine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 2, 2005 Report Share Posted March 2, 2005 Shari, I think you are much colder than we are here. The winter has been terribly wet, over twice the average rainfall, and colder in Nov and Dec than normal. Water ankle deep everywhere. Right now spring is showing up - fruit trees starting to bloom, oats headed out, mustard everywhere. I have parsley, thyme, oregano, sage, lemon balm and sweet marjoram in by the door for immediate munching. In the garden we already have tomato plants (yes!) and just put in snap peas, shell peas, beets, leeks and carrots and crossed our fingers and put in beans. Cabbages are starting to grow after the cold snaps, bok choy, chard and spinach are up. We will probably get rain until April which is our normal pattern, but no more severe cold. In the flower garden the cannas are up after being asleep during the cold, the shasta daisies are growing, honeysuckle is not looking shriveled with cold any more. Roses, grapes, willow and mulberry trees are pushing new leaves. Weeds eyeball deep to a tall giraffe, so spring is here! Do you ever try to mulch out the weeds with rain damaged hay? It does wonders for the earth as well as keeps down the weeds. Gayla Always Enough Ranch Acampo, California goatclearing@... http://coloredboers.home.att.net/always.html ----- Original Message ----- Dial Broadband has arrived Nationwide! Up to 5 times faster than traditional dialup connections from $13.33/month! See the demo for yourself at <a href= " http://www.BigValley.net " >www.BigValley.net</a> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 11, 2007 Report Share Posted March 11, 2007 Oh Gayla stop! We just have had the snow gone for a week! Wednesday was glorious, however. It got to 66 degrees and we were out cleaning out garden beds. The dirt is ready, now we just have to wait about another 3 - 4 weeks to be able to plant. S Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 12, 2007 Report Share Posted March 12, 2007 Yes Ma'am and one of your 4 legged babies too! lolGayla <aeranch@...> wrote: I will try to get pics soon. Yes, they always help. Can I post a pic of my baaaabies too? My little baby melon and squash plants? They are soooo cuuute! Gayla Suzi What is a weed? A plant whose virtues have not yet been discovered. health/ http://suziesgoats.wholefoodfarmacy.com/ http://360./suziesgoats Get your own web address. Have a HUGE year through Small Business. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 8, 2008 Report Share Posted April 8, 2008 No, dear, you threw in the trowel. :^D Sharon PS: I feel your pain! Last year I was unable to keep my big lily pond as clean as I should have, even with the help of very kind friends, and I lost most of my goldfish to some bacterial disease. :^( But this year is another story! [ ] gardening I've pretty much given up any thought of doing any type of 'getting on the ground type of gardening'. At least for now. Everything I have going right now is in huge pots and its working for me. I'm finding it even hard to get out and prune roses. SO much so that I am having Bob tear out all the roses I have in the front yard. Yea, I threw in the towel on those I guess. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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