Soil & Amendments

Our 2014 soil test report from the University of Vermont

It looks like we have to do some amending  at the end of the season.  Our pH is too high, which can be remedied by adding elemental sulfur.  Phosphorus levels are also high, but only time will bring those levels down.  Gardeners, avoid adding more phosphorus-rich fertilizers to your plots.  Phosphorus is the 2nd number on most bags of fertilizer and other amendments.  Everything else looks pretty good.  We will add the sulfur in the fall and see where we stand next spring.

 2014 Soil Test Pg 1

 2014 Soil Test Pg 2

Learn how to make your own fertilizer, and keep your garden green without spending a lot of green. Here are several great homemade fertilizer recipes to try:

Epsom Salt. Photo © Erin Huffstetler

Epsom Salt Fertilizer

Use in Place of:

Houseplant food
Vegetable fertilizer
Rose plant food

What You Need:

• 1 Tablespoon Epsom Salt
• 1 gallon water
• A watering can

What You Do:

1. Combine the Epsom salt and water.
2. Use the solution to water your plants.
3. Repeat once a month.

Why This Works:

Epsom salt is made up of magnesium and sulfate – both vital plant nutrients. Some magnesium-loving plants to try it on: houseplants, roses, peppers, tomatoes and potatoes.

Coffee Grounds. Photo © Erin Huffstetler

Coffee Ground Fertilizer

Use in Place of:

Rose plant food

What You Need:

• Used coffee grounds
• A cookie Sheet
• Newspaper

What You Do:

1. Line a cookie sheet with newspaper.
2. Then, spread your used coffee grounds out on the sheet, and allow them to dry completely.
3. Sprinkle the grounds around the base of your acid-loving plants. Azaleas, roses, rhododendrons and blueberries are just some of the plants that will benefit from this treatment.

Note: Be careful not to over do it with the grounds. Even acid-loving plants can get too much acid.

Why This Works:

Coffee grounds are rich in nitrogen, magnesium, and potassium – all important plant nutrients. They are also acidic, and help to maintain the acidity of the soil.

Egg Shells. Photo © Erin Huffstetler

Egg Shell Fertilizer

Use in Place of:

Lime

What You Need:

• Egg Shells
• A blender

What You Do:

1. Save your eggs shells, and allow them to air dry.
2. Then, place the dried shells in the blender, and pulse until they are powdery-fine.
3. Sprinkle in your garden.

Why This Works:

Eggs shells are made up almost entirely of calcium carbonate – the main ingredient in agricultural lime.

Vinegar. Photo © Erin Huffstetler

Vinegar Fertilizer

Use in Place of:

Houseplant fertilizer
Rose plant food

What You Need:

• 1 Tablespoon white vinegar
• 1 gallon water
• A watering can

What You Do:

1. Combine the white vinegar and water.
2. Use the solution to water your plants.
3. Repeat every three months.

Why This Works:

The acetic acid in vinegar works to increase the acidity of the soil – just the thing for acid-loving plants.

Fish Tank. Photo © Erin Huffstetler

Fish Tank Water Fertilizer

Use in Place of:

Any fertilizer

What You Need:

• Used fish tank water

What You Do:

1. Save the dirty water from your fish tank.
2. Then, use it to water your plants.

Why This Works:

Used fish tank water is full of nitrogen and other nutrients that plants need to thrive.

Wood Ash. Photo © Erin Huffstetler

Fireplace Ash Fertilizer

Use in Place of:

Garden fertilizer
Lime

What You Need:

• Fireplace ash

What You Do:

1. Sprinkle your fireplace ash over your garden beds, and work into the soil.

Note: Fireplace ash should not be used if your soil is alkaline, or be used around acid-loving plants.

Why This Works:

Fireplace ash is rich in potassium and calcium carbonate.

http://frugalliving.about.com/od/doityourself/tp/Homemade_Fertilizer.htm

DIY fish emulsion: You need a strong stomach for this one, but if you have no sense of smell or a very well-developed sense of adventure, this is a good one to try. Mix up the following: 1 part fish (guts, bones, heads, leftovers, etc) to 2 parts water. Place in an airtight container and then sit the container in a sunny spot in a remote area. Stir gently every two days and then apply in two weeks. If you can get past the smell, it’s a great source of phosphorus, amino acids, nitrogen and potassium and can be applied as a foliar treatment for cole crops and other leafy greens. Just wear clothes you don’t care about when spraying it on. Good grief the stuff stinks.

http://www.practicalgardening.blackdovenest.com/2012/03/easy-homemade-fish-emulsion-fertilizer.html

Timothy's Center For Gardening
Looking to start gardening in a more 'natural' way this year? Here's a list of 10 Natural Fertilizers that you can use in your garden!

BANANA PEELS - Eating a banana helps replenish lost potassium. Roses love potassium too. Simply throw one or two peels in the hole before planting or bury peels under mulch so they can compost naturally. Get bigger and more blooms.

COFFEE GROUNDS – Acid loving plants such as tomatoes, blueberries, roses and azaleas love coffee grounds mixed into the soil, sprinkled on top of the ground before watering, or poured on top of the soil. If using as a soil drench, soak 6 cups of coffee grounds in a 5 gallon bucket of water. Let it sit for 2-3 days and then saturate the soil around your plants.

EGG SHELLS – Wash them first, then crush. Work the shell pieces into the soil near tomatoes and peppers. The calcium helps fend off blossom end rot. Eggshells are 93% calcium carbonate, the same ingredient as lime, a tried and true soil amendment!

SEAWEED – Fresh seaweed should be washed well before use to remove salt. Asian markets sell dried seaweed. Both fresh and dried versions are considered excellent soil amendments. Seaweed contains trace elements and actually serves as a food source for soil microbes. Chop up a small bucket of seaweed and add it to 5 gallons of water. Let it sit for 2-3 weeks loosely covered. Use it to drench the soil and foliage. 2 cups work well for a small plant, 4 cups for a medium plants and 6 cups for a large plant.

MOLASSES – Using molasses in compost tea increases microbes and the beneficial bacteria that microbes feed on. If you want to start out with a simple recipe for molasses fertilizer, mix 1-3 tablespoons of molasses into a gallon of water. Water your plants with this concoction and watch them grow bigger and healthier.

HUMAN URINE – Sounds disgusting, but urine is considered sterile if the body it’s coming from is healthy and free of viruses and infection. High in nitrogen, urea contains more phosphorous and potassium than many of the fertilizers we buy at the store! You can even add it to a compost pile. A good ratio of urine to water would be 1:4. You can collect a cup of urine and pour it into 4 cups of water in a plastic bucket used outside for fertilizing plants. Pour 2 cups around the perimeter of each SMALL plant. For MEDIUM plants add 4 cups and LARGE plants deserve a good 6 cups.

GRASS CLIPPINGS – Rich in nitrogen, grass breaks down over time and enhances the soil. Fill a 5 gallon bucket full of grass clippings. Add water to the top of the bucket and let sit, covered for 3 weeks. Stir it once a week. Dilute your grass tea by mixing 1 cup of liquid grass into 10 cups of water. Apply to the base of plants using the same amounts as listed above in the urine recipe.

MANURE – Chicken, horse, cow manure. With a little effort, you’ll find folks that are giving away composted animal manure for free. Add the composted manure to a small permeable bag made from recycled cloth, e.g., a t-shirt or old towel. Let it steep in the shade for a few days and apply it to your soil to condition it before planting. Bury or discard the used bag. Some people use manure tea to soak bare root roses!

CAT AND DOG FOOD – Depending on the dog food you recycle, this soil amendment may not be organic. However, even the cheap stuff contains protein and micro-nutrients that benefit the soil. To prepare a garden plot for planting, sprinkle dry pet food on the bed, turn the soil and water. Let it decay naturally. To discourage wildlife from visiting for a snack, cover with cardboard until the food decomposes. The cardboard will also trap moisture and discourage weeds. Make sure the cardboard get wet all the way through and cover with mulch. Water thoroughly every week for four weeks. Check the feed for salt content and try not to add pet or animal food considered high in sodium.

CORNMEAL – Contains lots of phosphorus and nitrogen and acts as an effective fungicide. Add a cup of cornmeal to 5 gallons of water. Let it soak for several hours, then strain the liquid so you can add it to a spray bottle. Spray the leaves of plants that are susceptible to fungus. You can combine this cornmeal tea with compost tea for even more benefits. You can also use the leftover water from cooking corn in your vegetable garden.

Don’t forget that the best place to start is with a soil test to find out what nutrients your plants and soil actually need. Once you have an idea of what is going on in your own soil, you can adjust these recipes to suit your own needs and that of the plants you are growing.

http://blog.mypetchicken.com/2012/05/07/shannons-homemade-monster-tomato-fertilizer-recipe/

Shannon’s Homemade Monster Tomato Fertilizer recipe:

• 2-3 dozen crush egg shells
• 2 cups bone meal
• 1/2 cup Epsom salts
• 14 crushed aspirin (a natural rooting hormone!)

Combine ingredients in a resealable container to keep dry while storing.  You’re going to need about 1/4 cup of the mix at the bottom of the new hole you’re putting your tomato plant in.  Tomatoes need to be buried deep, so plan on digging hole that will cover 2/3 of the plant.  This makes for a strong root system, and a productive plant.  Don’t forget to mulch your new plants as well.  This will help keep moisture in the ground longer, and since tomatoes are prone to several diseases that live in the soil, mulch helps keep the dirt from splashing up on the bottom of the plant’s leave.