"SteveB" wrote in message
...


"I added about five bags of amendment (turkey shit based locally suggested
stuff) and a
bale of peat moss."


"Should I till more amendments in there? Should I mound it up? How much
water, and how often for about six plants? What fertilizer, and how
often? "


The lady at the nursery suggested three things to mix in there, blood meal,
cottonseed meal, and another I can't recall, which I did. She was really
hyped on using natural things rather than chemical fertilizers. I do have
access to all the horse and cow dung I want to collect right next door.


Once again a soil analysis from the UMASS is 13$, I'm sure Utah Colleges
have comparable prices. A test will address all of your questions based on
science specific to your soil rather than a generalized ideal of what
someone thinks you should have. It also will give you a Conventional and a
Organic fert guideline.

Also do check with your county extension office, I bet they have folks that
are as good at answering these questions you have as your Nursery lady and
what you can get here, mostly because they know the conditions you face.

BTW ever check the pH and mineral content of your water? A soil test will
tell you the pH and the buffered pH of your soil but most folks never know
what the water is.

So think about it. How much have you given the lady at the nursery so far
based on her
$cientific knowledge of what you should have? Your results to date have been
what?