Quote:
I expect that
Brocolli is a much better gardener than I am...becasuse there are MANY folks who are better at it than me.
BUT.....I do disagree with a couple of these statements. (Of course,
to disagree is EASY )
Grouping plant together "depending upon Ph reguirements" may seem like a good idea...BUT some veggies DON'T LIKE certain other ones near them (although the same Ph is required). Other veggies actually prefer certain other herbs and veggies near them. (Google "Companion Planting")
FRESH Chicken Manure is "hot" and will likely
burn your Garden Plants. It should be "composted" before use.
NOT ALL "bugs" are detrimental to your garden. A
few examples of the Beneficial Insects are: Praying Mantis, Ladybugs, Parasitoid Wasps, etc.
Many "veggies" (depending on the soil-type) are better served with phosphorus than nitrogen....Nitrogen will often encourage plant growth (leaves and stalks) but discourage the setting of the produce that you desire...such as tomatoes. They will need a balance of nutrients in order to produce effectively.
So....I really don't think that
Brocolli is correct in saying that is ALL you need to be a "Master Gardener". Perhaps it works for him/her.
Out here in the Southwest...with Alkaline soil, mostly....you wouldn't want to add LIME POWDER to your soil...that would make it MORE Alkaline. Sulphur would be better here...to help make the soil more Acidic (lower Ph).
just a differing opinion,
-Junkmanme-
You are very right Junkman, lime is put in to make soil more alkaline. I add lime because I live in East Texas because it is a swampy-like soil and much too acidic for most things. Citrus actually grows here pretty well because it likes a highly acidic soil. If your soil is too alkaline I would add Iron Sulphate and/or Magnesium Sulphate. Some people even just mix in mulch through out the winter to neutralize the salts by springtime. Flooding the salts out can be done as well.
Something that matters quite a bit more than PH and everything is soil texture. Is your soil too sandy where water tends to perculate through? Or maybe it is too humus where it drowns the plants? Yours could be too clayish where water puddles and causes root rot? Any of these can be fixed with the right soil mixture or tending to.
If anyone wants a good soil mixture for potted plants or to throw in a garden here is the one I use:
2/10 Vermiculite
3/10 Canadian Spahgnum Peat Moss
5/10 Sand-ish Top Soil
Also, I like to add some liquified Atlantic Salmon. Plants absolutely love it, but so do varmits. If your garden is not fenced in add it at your own risk because raccoons/dog/cats just about anything will dig your plants up to get to the smell. Later in life I like to also sprinkle those extended release plant nutrient pellets, the ones meant for flowering, they help with big lush fruit growth.
By the way, on the bug note. Many farmers like to add lady bugs to eat the aphids on their plants. Aphids are little demons, they will eat your plants very quickly! If you have bug problems there is usually another bug that can counter the bad ones. It is nature friendly, much better than spraying your garden with pesticides.
Anyways thats my two cents.
