Best Potting Soil

Is the sawdust a waste product from a furniture industry that has loaded it with toxic polishing treatments? This was not only because of the presence of contaminated bedding but also because the herbicides clopyralid and picloram were found in commercial...

When adjusting your soil's pH, add only the recommended amount of any product as indicated by a soil test to make an effective pH change without going too much in the opposite direction.

This is the measurement of how acid or alkaline a soil may be, and it can affect everything from disease and pests to nutrient uptake and yield. Although organic matter can improve your soil's ability to retain nutrients, this particular measurement is...

Corks are actually a renewable resource. Organic nitrogen fertilizers made from food waste are better for the environment, but both are shipped long distance using fossil fuels, which adds to climate disruption.

But it's also a great way to check your progress, so over the years, as you amend and grow, you can see through a soil test how well you're doing. Don't Leave The Soil Exposed Not only does bare soil open up a chance for erosion from rain and wind, but...

It's hardy just about anywhere in the U.S., which means this is a viable option for nearly all of us. What if I could tell you that the investment in fertility for next year could also provide income for this year?

I hefted two identical bunches of carrots at the grocery store the other day, both firm and bright orange with a tousled top of vibrant green leaves; however, one was labeled organic and the other conventionally grown.

Below are some sample recipes that can guide your venture, but feel free to experiment with ingredients to suit the nutritional needs of your container garden. Peat-Soil Combination Mix 2 parts vermiculite 3 parts sphagnum peat moss 2 parts perlite 2...

The insulating value of the soil keeps these creatures cool in the summer and warm in the winter. The hydroponic solution must include all the essential elements, in the proper proportion, as well as some other beneficial elements (like silicon and sodium),...

Mulching can be part of this picture. Clay is also more likely to compact, as anyone who has encountered clay after rain can affirm as they scrape the gunk off their shoes and garden tools.

Balance with Compost No matter how you choose to amend your soil , utilizing rich compost before planting is helps guarantee the best crop possible. If a soil test shows an excess nutrient, some farmers quickly graze that grass before moving them onto...

Make A New Garden Bed Sheet composting—aka lasagna gardening—is a great way to make a new garden. Although I sometimes “recycle” a small percentage of my potting soil by amending it with a heavy dose of compost before using it again, most of the...

The resulting dirt falls into the big bucket below, and the rocks and gravel stay on the screen. I use the gravel to cover the pathways in many places, and this lets me harvest in the garden even when it's wet.

Adding an amendment your plants don't need wastes money and can lead to compounded nutrient problems, excess salt in the soil and groundwater pollution. True foliar feeding, with fertility delivered solely through the leaves, is quite unusual in a backyard...

Drill pilot holes in the wood to prevent splits during assembly. Remember to account for overlap at the ends. This is often a complicated decision because of the many choices. They extend a gardener's growing season because the walls collect early spring...

We can see what good, crumbly, rich soil looks like with our eyes, but our eyes aren't capable of seeing what's happening in our soil at a microscopic level which, as it turns out, is farm more important than our soil's outward appearance.

For example azaleas, hydrangeas, and rhododendrons prefer a pH in the 5.0-5.5 range. She went on to say that the excess Magnesium itself should not hurt the plants, but it could prevent the roses from taking up other vital nutrients.

Once the walls are built, I put on a row of clay bricks or hollow building blocks that serves as the top edge. I'll also knock the fronts out of a few bottles on the top row and fill the space with dirt so I can plant hanging things that will eventually...

Iron deficiency, also called iron chlorosis, causes a yellowing of the leaves, and overall lack of vigor. Iron also plays a role in the respiratory function of plants, where they convert carbon dioxide to oxygen.

“The tightness of the corn market trumps the other crops.” Gesser notes that soybean prices and availability could also see an impact, though the soybean market is not as tight as the corn market.

Soil Problem No. 5: Soil has excess salinity (salt content) or sodicity (sodium content). You can provide additional benefits to soil microbes by using cover crops during fallow periods, crop rotation, perennial crops and conservation-tillage practices.

Nematodes and protozoa eat bacteria and fungi. If soil is compacted, the roots will have a more difficult time moving deeper down, as will the organisms. Having a poor pH can affect germination, crop growth, fruiting, health and ultimately your yield.

Larger logs I keep for firewood or bury in huegelkultur mounds along with some brush and other garden waste. When creating an edible forest garden , I find myself doing an enormous amount of tree pruning .

So in order to preserve moisture mid summer, and cut down on irrigation, it is beneficial to have flat or only slightly mounded beds as opposed to beds raised more than 6 inches, which is my standard.

Use warm water, as it's more easily absorbed by the soil-mix components than cold. 2 large buckets (one for soil and one for water) soil mix water trowel soil blocker propagation tray gloves (optional) Step 1: Mix soil and water.

Sphagnum Peat Moss Average pH: 4 Nutritional Content: Very low in all nutrients. Notes for Use: A byproduct of mushroom production, this compost contains ingredients like horse manure and shredded corn cobs.

I rotate buckwheat into my garden after cool-season crops , such as broccoli or snap peas, have finished in the late spring. Seed size tells you how deep to plant: Tiny seeds, such as lettuce, need sunshine to germinate and want to be at the surface or...