On Sun, 01 Feb 2004 12:12:13 -0600, Romy Beeck wrote:

I'm a rookie gardener.But a few years back I took some dead weeds from the
lake and put them around my tomato plants and I had very good tomatos that
year.I'm just wondering if I took the soil from the water and put it on my
garden and let the sun try it out and them work it later with my garden
tractor if that would give me a better garden this year. I sure hope
someone on this newsgroup can help me. I have a 100 feet of lake frontage.
By the way I live in wisconsin



I am also in the land of ice and snow. Which lake?

Lake weeds work great in the garden and compost heap.

Silty shouldn't be a problem since most of our best farmland can be found
in river deltas, river bottomlands and where rivers have flooded.

Before getting too carried away, I would recommend a soil test. There are
two labs in Wisconsin:

Madison Lab
Soil Testing
Plant Analysis
ICP Mass Spectrometry

Marshfield Lab
Forage Testing
Soil Testing
Waste Analysis

http://uwlab.soils.wisc.edu/ is the web address.

Tests are cheap. You simply collect and submit samples according to the
instructional materials that come in the kit. There is a provision to
state your type of garden. The report comes back in 1-2 weeks with
recommendations.

These are the ones to ask about adding river or lake soil to gardens.

The secret to any garden soil is amendments. If the soil is too sandy,
add organic material. If it is too clayey, add organic materials. Sand
is not the best way to rejuvenate or improve soil.

If you like to fish, add a few bluegill or carp to your garden/composter.
Great fertilizer but also an attractant for racoons, skunk, cats, etc.

Another source for info is your county extension agent. Every Wisconsin
county has one. The info is free and reliable.

Each county offers a master gardening program as well.