Jake Nospam@invalid wrote in news:2lvij7du0lql49qhbpgigkl1hbggr25ide@
4ax.com:

You've got a funny mix of soil there - clay and sand, soils are
usually one or the other, unless the sand has been added maybe?

Clay soil will usually be pH 7 or lower - tending toward the acid.
Chalky soils are the alkaline ones, unless lime has been added maybe?
Has builders' sand been dug in perhaps? This will tend to upset the pH
balance, unlike horticultural sand.

What was growing there before you created the veg patch? The results
of your tests just don't seem right. Chemical soil test kits often
have a use by date on them - does yours and it is past? I'd place a
bet on the kit delivering faulty results. I'm not a believer in them,
to be honest. Soil pH testing's one thing but as far as everything
else is concerned, I play "by ear". Deficiencies of various things
will show in specific ways and you can react to them quite easily.



Thanks. I'm in the dark about the history of the plot. I do know that the
substrate is white limestone, shale and sandy grit, intermixed with clay
(as quite common in coastal regions, I think). Most of the topsoil
contained lots of small to large flat white limestone rocks. I found one
place where there was old builing rubble under the topsoil, such as pieces
of lime mortar. When I acquired the plot, a couple of years ago, the
'garden' in question looked exactly like a typical farmer's field: long
grass of various kinds, including couch grass. It has probably been used
for grazing animals at some stage in its long history.

I'm surprised to hear you say that clay soils are usually tending towards
acid. I don't think that's the case in my area, because of all the
limestone.

I may be worrying too much about the nutrient content. I did plant a few
vegetables last year: tomatoes and beans and broccili, and they grew
perfectly healthily. Weeds absolutely LOVE the soil here. There is one weed
(something edible, and related to celery, I'm told), with very deep
tuberous roots, that I have been at war with constantly. The roots go so
deep that it is almost impossible to dig them out. My latest battle-plan
has been to use weed killer. We'll see if that works.

JakeD