Recession Gardens - Victory Gardens
Americans buying up seeds to plant 'recession gardens article
Sign the petition for a White House garden. Look to the link at left.
Composting
composting slideshow
get started composting
Soil
assess your gardens soil
Determining the Texture of Garden Soil
Garden soil consists of sand, silt, and clay, and for plants to grow well, it must have all three in the right proporitons. There are a few ways to determine which kind of soil you're dealing with. For a quick test, simply squeeze some slightly moist soil in your hand. Clay soils form a compact lump and retain their shape. Loam soils form a ball but fall apart if poked. Sandy soils won't hold their shape at all.
Some gardeners get lucky with naturally rich, fertile soil. However, you may need to amend your soilso that it meets your plants' needs.
You can also check the texture of your soil in a jar filled with water. Gather some soil from the garden, choosing a sample from near the surface and down to a depth of eight inches. Let it dry, pulverize it into fine granules, and mix well. Put a one-inch layer (a little over a cup) in a quart glass jar with 1/4 teaspoon of powdered dishwasher detergent. (Dishwasher detergent won't foam up.) Add enough water to fill the jar two-thirds full. Shake the jar for a minute, turning it upside down as needed to get all the soil off the bottom, then put the jar on a counter where it can sit undisturbed. One minute later, mark the level of settled particles on the jar with a crayon or wax pencil. This is sand. Set an alarm for four hours, and when it goes off, mark the next level, which is the amount of silt that has settled. Over the next day or two, the clay will slowly settle and allow you to take the final measurement. These measurements show the relative percentages of sand, silt, and clay in your soil.
Organic matter provides nutrients to the plants in your garden. Keep reading to learn about assessing the organic content of your garden soil.
reading between the layers
you should see the Sand layer appear on the bottom (as these have the largest (in other words, heaviest) particles, followed by a different coloured layer of silt particles, and lastly, the finest clay particles appearing on the top. These layers should be distinctive, and will give you an indication of your soil content.
Layers are evenly balanced = Healthy Soil
Bottom layer is much larger than other layers = Sandy Soil
Middle layer is much larger than other layers = Silty Soil
Top layer is much larger than other layers = Clay Soil
How To Improve Sandy Soil: Add compost or mulch to your top soil, to increase the organic matter. This will also help increase the water-retention of your soil, helping your plants. Make sure to add at least 2 inches of organic matter to your top soil every year.
How To Improve Silty Soil:
Add at least one inch of organic matter (compost or mulch) every year. Concentrate on the surface of your soil to avoid crusting. Avoid walking on your soil to prevent compacting the soil and reducing the amount of air. You can consider using raised beds, where you can add a layer of sand beneath your top soil.
How To Improve Clay Soil: Keep tilling of your soil to a minimum, and avoid walking on the soil where you will plant. Add 2 inches of compost or mulch initially, and add another one inch every year after that. Permanent raised beds will improve drainage and help with any flooding.
Red Cabbage pH indicator
We made some red cabbage pH indicator last week and it was so easy. To test your soil add water to it then strain through a coffee filter or some paper towels. Test the water that runs off the soil.
testing your garden soils pH
Different types of plants each require varying degrees of soil acidity. Some plants are even very sensitive to soil pH.
Plant pH Preference Range Lists by Category
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