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Old 24-04-2003, 11:20 PM
simy1
 
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Default need some soil amendment advice

Pam wrote in message ...

Bottom line - amending the soil in a correct manner is a good thing.
Attempting to significantly adjust soil pH is generally an exercise in
futility and can destroy a rather fragile ecological balance.


So, if the pH in the area surrounding my veggie garden is 5.0 (it is),
I can forget about beets and asparagus? They both prefer at least 6.5.
Indeed, of the
veggies that prefer around 7.0, only lettuce does consistently well.
Garlic does OK, chard cabbage cardoon onions and tatsoi are relatively
small. I do not have a fetish about having huge veggies, just trying
to understand the pattern. I certainly have success with acid tolerant
radicchio and tomatoes.
I spread enough wood ash every spring, incidentally, to bring the pH
around 6.5. And the beds are more than 50% organic matter and most of
their surface is mulched with wood chips or leaves most of the time. I
manure the beds every two years. Under the beds the soil is probably
even more acid than the surroundings, having been a boggy area for a
long time.

I have also noticed that the soil near concrete has a pH of 6.5 or
higher (using the color charts provided with the kits). The pH is
permanent as long as the lime source is permanent.