A friend's garden is not doing well. He has not mixed manure or other organic
material with the soil since he started gardening three years ago. Plants in
his garden are just not growing. The problem is that he has been relying on
short-cuts such as Miracle Grow.

Is there any product he can add now that would let him salvage this year's crop
without digging up the garden and adding manure?
--
Gardening Zones
Canada Zone 5a
United States Zone 3a
Near Ottawa, Ontario

He would be better of using a dry sprinkle-on fert with trace elements
rather than the liquid for this season. A light dusting of powdered milk
[cheap generic] and epsom salts [a light-med sprinkling] about every 4-6
inches of water.

If he has pets, water in the milk before they get to it. I rush out
just before a rain. [Usable if expired]

And any sugar can be added- I like maple syrup from the $ store. About
1/2 C [mixed in any amt of water over 100 sq ft, also every 5-6 weeks
will help too. [regular granular is ok but doesnt help flavor as well
[about 1/2C over 100 sq ft] No, no ants.

He should also chew up is leaves in fall and mix them in the soil

Jim Carter said:

A friend's garden is not doing well. He has not mixed manure or other organic
material with the soil since he started gardening three years ago. Plants in
his garden are just not growing. The problem is that he has been relying on
short-cuts such as Miracle Grow.

Is there any product he can add now that would let him salvage this year's crop
without digging up the garden and adding manure?

Alfalfa meal or pellets, lightly scratched in or as a thin mulch. Screened compost
or *very* well aged manure, as a heavier mulch. Both in combination, even
better.

Alfalfa tea or liquified kelp (Maxicrop powder is what I use) as a foliar feed.
--
Pat in Plymouth MI

Any technology distinguishable from magic is insufficiently advanced.
(attributed to Don Marti)

On Fri, 20 Jun 2003 19:39:36 -0400, Jim Carter
wrote:

A friend's garden is not doing well. He has not mixed manure or other organic
material with the soil since he started gardening three years ago. Plants in
his garden are just not growing. The problem is that he has been relying on
short-cuts such as Miracle Grow.

Is there any product he can add now that would let him salvage this year's crop
without digging up the garden and adding manure?

There are products that work on the *soil* rather than directly on
the crop. E. B. Stone, among others, makes an organic fetilizer of
that type. Dunno if that would work "fast" enough to salvage this
year's crop for your friend, but it couldn't hurt try . Sprinkle it
around plants, cultivate lightly, and waterigently but thoroughly.

Could the problem be inherent in the soil? You don't state whether is
the first year that things have not gone well. IOW, could the friend
be gardening in soil that needs amendments (as you point out above).
Some soil is so rich it doesn't need help; others are not.

The soil might need something other than just manure (BTW- make sure
he knows to use well-rotted manure, not fresh from the critter's hind
end!). Maybe soil needs the pH modified, for example.

If there's an extension dept in the county where friend can get soil
tested (some nurseries will do this), that might be a first step.

Good luck!

--

Persphone

On Sat, 21 Jun 2003 18:25:23 GMT, wrote in
rec.gardens.edible:

Could the problem be inherent in the soil? You don't state whether is
the first year that things have not gone well. IOW, could the friend
be gardening in soil that needs amendments (as you point out above).
Some soil is so rich it doesn't need help; others are not.

The tale is classic. The soil has been used for four years (not just three as I
said earlier). First year, everything grew well; second year, still okay; third
year, all plants smaller and slower growing than they should have been; this is
the fourth year.

He has been using Miracle Grow and other such chemical remedies. I have told
him that this as if he took vitamin and mineral tablets only and then wondered
why he is starving to death. I think he is finally getting the point.

In other words, I am convinced that his problem is the soil needs organic
material. I am trying to find a way for him to save this year's plantings.
--
Gardening Zones
Canada Zone 5a
United States Zone 3a
Near Ottawa, Ontario

On Sat, 21 Jun 2003 19:07:51 -0400, Jim Carter
wrote:

On Sat, 21 Jun 2003 18:25:23 GMT, wrote in
rec.gardens.edible:

Could the problem be inherent in the soil? You don't state whether is
the first year that things have not gone well. IOW, could the friend
be gardening in soil that needs amendments (as you point out above).
Some soil is so rich it doesn't need help; others are not.

The tale is classic. The soil has been used for four years (not just three as I
said earlier). First year, everything grew well; second year, still okay; third
year, all plants smaller and slower growing than they should have been; this is
the fourth year.

He has been using Miracle Grow and other such chemical remedies. I have told
him that this as if he took vitamin and mineral tablets only and then wondered
why he is starving to death. I think he is finally getting the point.

In other words, I am convinced that his problem is the soil needs organic
material. I am trying to find a way for him to save this year's plantings.

PH test and compost tea would be my suggestion.

I would suggest a manure tea. Something like...a shovel full of horse
manure in 5 gallon bucket, fill with water, let set for a couple days,
occasionally stirring, then water the garden with the tea. He will need to
make enough to water is whole garden, and repeat a few times throughout the
season. This may help for now, but come fall I would spread about 6" of
good manure and compost over the whole garden and then till it in. And next
spring as soon as the ground thaws, add another few inches and till it under
again. He definitely needs to start adding some organic materials to the
garden, to keep it growing to it's full potential.


--
Rob Smith, NY
www.allwoodwork.com
Woodworking, Home, & Garden Community



"Jim Carter" wrote in message
news
A friend's garden is not doing well. He has not mixed manure or other
organic
material with the soil since he started gardening three years ago. Plants
in
his garden are just not growing. The problem is that he has been relying
on
short-cuts such as Miracle Grow.

Is there any product he can add now that would let him salvage this year's
crop
without digging up the garden and adding manure?
--
Gardening Zones
Canada Zone 5a
United States Zone 3a
Near Ottawa, Ontario

Jim Carter wrote in message . ..
On Sat, 21 Jun 2003 18:25:23 GMT, wrote in
rec.gardens.edible:

Could the problem be inherent in the soil? You don't state whether is
the first year that things have not gone well. IOW, could the friend
be gardening in soil that needs amendments (as you point out above).
Some soil is so rich it doesn't need help; others are not.

The tale is classic. The soil has been used for four years (not just three as I
said earlier). First year, everything grew well; second year, still okay; third
year, all plants smaller and slower growing than they should have been; this is
the fourth year.

He has been using Miracle Grow and other such chemical remedies. I have told
him that this as if he took vitamin and mineral tablets only and then wondered
why he is starving to death. I think he is finally getting the point.

In other words, I am convinced that his problem is the soil needs organic
material. I am trying to find a way for him to save this year's plantings.

I agree that he probably ran out of one or more nutrients. The most
complete soil amendments are, typically, kitchen scraps and manure. I
would lay down two to four inches of manure, and the plants will be
getting manure tea from rain and irrigation. You can not probably
expect much this year - at this point he may consider starting a fall
garden, in a couple of month the manure will have kicked in.

For next year, a Ph/N/P/K test costs a few bucks. If he needs
nutrients across the board, then more manure/kitchen waste (grass
clippings are undigested manure). If he has a relatively high pH and
needs P/K, wood chips (if he needs N/K, coffee grounds). If he has
acid soil and needs K, wood ash. If he just needs structure and
organics, leaves.

If a garden is well fertilized, it can do a year whithout whith no problem.
so he can dig in the manure in fall.
Miracle grow is not that bad , when used as a steering mechanism. a small
hand here and a small hand there to give a little help here and thare. but
it takes away some taste in veggies. as theygrow faster and bigger, there is
little time to develop taste . even more so in zone 3-5 as sun strength is
less there than in say florida.
a TON ( 1000 KG ) of manure is about equel to 50 Kg miracle grow. minus the
carbon content

succes
"Jim Carter" wrote in message
news
A friend's garden is not doing well. He has not mixed manure or other
organic
material with the soil since he started gardening three years ago. Plants
in
his garden are just not growing. The problem is that he has been relying
on
short-cuts such as Miracle Grow.

Is there any product he can add now that would let him salvage this year's
crop
without digging up the garden and adding manure?
--
Gardening Zones
Canada Zone 5a
United States Zone 3a
Near Ottawa, Ontario

Jim Carter wrote:

A friend's garden is not doing well. He has not mixed manure or other
organic
material with the soil since he started gardening three years ago. Plants
in
his garden are just not growing. The problem is that he has been relying
on short-cuts such as Miracle Grow.

Is there any product he can add now that would let him salvage this year's
crop without digging up the garden and adding manure?
--
Gardening Zones
Canada Zone 5a
United States Zone 3a
Near Ottawa, Ontario

Mulch the garden with either compost or manure (or a blend). As another
poster has mentioned, each time he waters after that he will be giving his
plants a tiny amount of fertilizer. More importantly, though, he will be
feeding the earthworms and other soil inhabitants. He need not dig this in
at all. Next year, just plant directly into whatever is left and, as the
plants come to size, reapply the mulch. This is a lather-rinse-repeat thing
that will, over a surprisingly short time, result in a much healthier soil
and, of course, much better produce for him.

Bill
--
I do not post my address to news groups.