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Re: Help! Nobodies replying

Square Foot Gardening List - http://www.flinet.com/~gallus/sqft.html

On 12:37 PM 4/22/99 PDT, "Dori Vick" <dori_vick@hotmail.com> wrote:

>>1. There is a organic soil place down the road that has a garden mix 
>>which consists of:
>>25% Sandy Loam (don't really know what this is)

The word "loam" is in any decent dictionary and also easily researched on
the web (I use the meta-dictionary site of www.onelook.com):

http://www.encyclopedia.com/articles/07559.html

      loam
      soil composed of sand, silt, clay, and organic matter in evenly mixed
      variously sized particles. Loams are more fertile than sandy soils
and are
      not stiff and tenacious like clay soils. Their porous texture permits
high
      moisture retention and air circulation, and most agriculturally
important
      soils are loams. Loam soils are classified as sand, silt, or clay loams,
      depending on the largest component. Loam is often popularly confused
      with HUMUS. 

http://www.gardenweb.com/glossary/loam

loam (syn. loamy soil)
1. A generally fertile and well-drained soil, usually containing a
significant amount of decomposed organic matter. 2. Any soil. 

contrast "sandy loam" with "clay loam":

clay soil (syn. clay loam)
A soil, usually heavy and poorly drained, containing a preponderance of
very fine particles. 

So sandy loam would be light, well draining soil, perfect for gardening.

>>30% Sand
>>30% Manure compost
>>15% Alder compost
>>Is this a good starting soil?  

Looks like it.  In general a "local garden mix" should be a good soil
mixture for your area.

>What should I add to it? Vermiculite?

Have you asked the people you are buying it from if it would need/benefit
from Vermiculite?  I bet they know their soil mixture better than we co.

Are you putting it on/in the soil, or just planting in containers?  Have
you seen the soil already or are you speculating about what it will need
once you get it without actually looking at it first?  If it's heavy it
*may* be able to benefit from the vermiculite.  Take a look at the "perfect
soil" recipe on page 65 of the Square Foot Gardening book.  But ask the
people who are mixing it first!  (Ask them why there isn't any vermiculite
in it already...)

>>2.  I have 2 half barrels for tomatoes, is there a companion I can put 
>>with it until they get large?

Page 102 shows a bush tomato in a 2x2 square surrounded with lettuce (4
plants) and radishes (8 plants) that will mature and be harvested before
the tomato requires the full 4 squares.  I believe there is a section in
the book somewhere that talks about what to plant around larger slow
growing plants.


>>3.  Any suggestions from any other Seattlites?

I'm not in Seattle, sorry, I can't help you there.

jc


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