-Ryan Blankenship- The very first step in determining if your soil is ready for planting is to simply dig yourself a small hole where you would like your planting site to be. By digging this small hole, you will be able to determine if you have loose or clay soil. Like many people in our area, we typically have a lot of red clay where we would like to plant. I also like to send a soil sample out to our state agricultural extension program to get tested to understand the NPK … [Read more...] about How to Tell if Your Garden Soil Is Ready for Planting
soil pH
Amending and Beyond!
-Mike Weeks- Every year, I find myself getting asked how to amend gardens and raised beds with soil amendments. This can be easy to do, but there are a few steps that should be taken before applying anything. The first thing that should be determined is what your soil type is. What is the percentage of sand, silt, clay, and humus? I like to perform what is called a mason jar soil test to get that information. This is an easy process that will involve mixing a soil sample into a jar and taking … [Read more...] about Amending and Beyond!
How weeds can help you understand your garden
As cultivators, we are constantly competing with mother nature for growing space. If a space in your yard is left bare, you can be certain that some type of weed is going to move in, if the conditions are in its favor. Weeds, just like cultivated plants, thrive in conditions that are favorable for them to be successful. By observing the most prevalent types of weeds growing in one area, we can get an idea of the soil’s pH, nutrition content, moisture, compaction and can even help identify the … [Read more...] about How weeds can help you understand your garden
