Re: The Perfect Soil

Hi, I won't do any amending till I get the results from a Soil Report. I take several samples from various points in the patch, mix up the soil and send it off to the Lab. 
cheers
Marc




dec wrote:


List,
I would like to see as many as possible that come to this list give their
versions of what is the most important factors you look for in your soil? It
would be good for teaching and Commonwealth of AG growers
Mine are:
1) Plenty of compost/ old composted horse/cow/poultry/pig/rabbit manure (Some
have more N so careful and check before hand. I like 6 yards of horse manure
(old) per two plants.
2) Shredded leaves about 80-90 medium to large black plastic bags full per two
plants.
3) Fall prep should also include adding cornmeal I add 20 lbs. per 1500 sq.
ft. plot for 2 plants the first year and half that every year after. It helps
to build beneficial microbes. Molasses 8ozs. sprinkling can the whole patch of
1500 sq.ft. Any other ammendments i.e. gypsum, lime, soft rock phosphate,
greensand, Potassium, humus).
4) Till in and throw a cover crop on top. Trouble with disease? Try a brassica
like mustard seed mix or meal (natural fumigant) or oil seed radish. Need N
try alfalfa. Trend: Hay mix and a legume (beans, cowpeas etc.)
5) Spring Prep: Trow on some more compost maybe a yard over the whole patch,
First and only till in spring around 2nd-3rd week ad bloodmeal, bonemeal,
humic acid, kelp meal etc. Mychorriza at transplant, as well as bioorganisms
such as Bacillus S. and Trichoderma H. and Streptomyces G. I like to also
follow the Agro-K program for soil prep about a month before transplant.
Don Chambers






----- Original Message -----
From: "Joseph Lee" <josephlee@doctors.org.uk>
To: <pumpkins@hort.net>; "Brian" <brian8t@gmail.com>
Sent: Thursday, January 15, 2009 5:24 PM
Subject: Re: The Perfect Soil



Hi,
I'm thinking of trying some bio-char in my soil.  Does
anyone have any experience/advice?
Joe

On Thu, 15 Jan 2009 15:36:04 -0600
"Brian" <brian8t@gmail.com> wrote:

Here's my 2 cents, I like my clay soil here in North
Mississippi.  I amend it
with compost from the horses next door, only amend. When
it gets over 95
degrees in July & August, I need all the water retention
I can get.  When I
put the garden to bed in November, I spread what manure
and compost I had and
tilled it in.  I'll be putting lime on the soil before I
put out my sweet corn
in March/April.  After the corn is done in June, in go
the giants.

Brian Taylor

P.S.  Good luck to all you Yankees and the cold I keep
hearing about.  Sounds
awful.  I'm a Damn Yankee, because I'm from Iowa, came
to the south and
stayed!  So I know what you're going thru.  Yuck!

-----Original Message-----
From: owner-pumpkins@hort.net
[o*@hort.net] On Behalf Of
Hatcher, John
Sent: Thursday, January 15, 2009 2:56 PM
To: pumpkins@mallorn.com
Subject: The Perfect Soil

Now is the time of year we're all trying to get our soil
prepped and
perfect.  Well, all of us geographically challenged
growers below the
Mason-Dixon line, anyway.

I read Dave from Minnesota's description of what he does
to his plot
with interest.  He basically excavates most of the soil

from his pit and

starts with 100% organic material.  I do the same thing,
but on a
smaller scale.

But I was surprised to hear that Dave goes for good dirt
down to 2 or 3
feet.  I thought the roots of a pumpkin were much
shallower. Maybe mine
are, because the good dirt isn't deep enough, or I don't
water
correctly, or something.

My question is: how deep do you folks try to prep the
soil - how deep do
the roots really want to grow?

Thanks a lot,
john hatcher

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