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Old 25-01-2011, 11:02 PM posted to rec.gardens.edible
Billy[_10_] Billy[_10_] is offline
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First recorded activity by GardenBanter: Mar 2010
Posts: 2,438
Default Planting Soil...

In article
,
Gz wrote:

On Jan 8, 2:37*pm, Oren wrote:
Hello,

I live in Southern Nevada (Mojave Desert) USDA Zone 8a.

This is a difficult place to grow a garden, but yesterday I found some
information that got me excited about growing tomatoes. The lady has a
book with many details for growing in the harsh desert.

Our soil here is hard packed, plenty of rock and difficult to grow
anything.

Reading on I found out that some soils are made with "biosolids"
(sewer sludge). *From my reading it was pointed out that this
information is not unnecessarily reported to the consumer. Apparently
this is some "nasty" stuff to be growing food crops in, since it
contains things that are not removed at the sewer treatment plants.*

Questions: *What can I use and combine to make my own soil? *Are there
products that I can use to ensure the soil is safe?

Thank You.

*http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sludge#Biosolids


That very fine sand that makes the ground so hard can be
broken up with thicker sand particles. Keep mixing things in
and you will have good soil.

There is heavy metals in sludge and sometimes you
will find tomatoes seeds growing in it at the plant. Also marijuana.



greg


Make your soil adjustments, sand, organic material, and then check-out
lasagna gardening (aka: sheet mulching).

http://ourgardengang.tripod.com/lasagna_gardening.htm
http://organicgardening.about.com/od...en/a/lasagnaga
rden.htm
http://www.fbga.net/Lasagna%20gardening%202004.htm
http://www.ourgardengang.com/lasagna_gardening.htm

You may want to dig your garden to mix in your amendments, for the first
season, after that it is no-dig gardening that uses mulch to suppress
weeds and to conserve water.
--
- Billy
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