John improves soil:: Central Texas Gardener

Get your garden started right with John Dromgoole’s tips to improve clay or sandy soil with with pea gravel, decomposed granite, expanded shale, and dairy compost.

Making soil blocks using the soil cube tool

www.soilcube.com The soil cube tool is a simple hand operated garden tool that compresses soil into a cube which then is used as both the soil and the container for starting garden seeds. Once the seeds have grown into seedlings, the soil cube containing the seedling is easily transplanted into the garden. There are no peat pellets, peat pots, plastic pots, etc… There are several advantages of using soil cubes instead of pots. One, the seedlings will not become root bound. The soil cube “air-prunes” the roots and the roots stay inside the cube. Two, because the roots are contained inside the soil cube, there is no transplant shock when they are moved into the garden. This makes the plants take off much faster once moved to the garden. When compared to purchasing peat pellets, peat pots, or other small plastic pots that will deteriorate over time, the small expense of a Soil Cube tool will be immediately offset in the first few flats of seedlings. If you purchase just two trays of peat pellet starting kits, you will have already spent more than the cost of the Soil Cube Maker which will continue to make unlimited soil cubes for seed propagation.
Video Rating: 5 / 5

the soil in my organic garden is low on iron. what can i do without compromising it’s organic status?

Question by rachael: the soil in my organic garden is low on iron. what can i do without compromising it’s organic status?
some of the leaves of my vegetable plants are turning yellow, i had them looked at and was told that the soil is definitely too low in iron.

Best answer:

Answer by profish
Epsom salt

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Use Organic Garden Fertilizer To Better Improve The Quality Of The Soil And Plants

Starting your organic garden means that you will be using organic garden fertilizer. By using organic fertilizers, you are able to improve the quality of the soil. In addition, this kind of fertilizer tends to release nutrients which aid the plant to grow better. Some of the best organic fertilizer is not bought at the stores. Also know as “organic gardening compost,” it can come from your household scraps, manure, and decayed plants.

You can even make a large amount of compost and sell it to other gardeners who are not able to make compost. Composting helps maintain a neutral pH and helps the soil hold more nutrients. It also feeds the microbial life present in the soil. This helps and supports the plants in your garden.

The compost is able to generate nutrients and helpful bacteria, which makes a vital contribution. But the process of making the soil healthy is an ongoing process. Aside from improving the water holding capacity of the soil, it encourages the generation of beneficial soil organisms.

Using organic gardening compost can suppress plant diseases and pests. It is also able to promote higher yields of agricultural crops. Many gardeners are using compost in order for their gardens to be healthier. Some use it for general soil improvement. Even if the soil is not able to grow crops, once you are able to add compost, it will regain the nutrients loss in time.

The crops harvested from a garden using organic compost is typically known for having longer lasting plants than crops rose with chemical fertilizers. Your garden is not considered to be an organic garden if you are not using organic garden fertilizers. The result of using compost in your garden is evident in the plants because the plants have more nutrients. Organic compost is also used to prepare your garden for the next round of crops to be planted.

Using Soil Block Makers to Start Seeds

Dave and Anthony Stevenson show you a great tool for starting seeds.
Video Rating: 5 / 5

Can i use miracle gro organic choice garden soil in containers?

Question by tommy: Can i use miracle gro organic choice garden soil in containers?
it says not to use in containers but if i do will it hurt what i plant

Best answer:

Answer by fly guy
I used it last year in my earthboxes. It seemed to work fine.

Know better? Leave your own answer in the comments!

Soil for organic gardening?

Question by laluxe: Soil for organic gardening?
I’m going to make an attempt at organic gardening and I don’t know if I should use soil from the ground or go out and buy some? Do you use fertilizer for organic gardening? or just mix in organic matter?

Best answer:

Answer by June B
Amend your soil by adding organic compost. If you have clay soil, add some gypsum before you add the compost. You can use organic fertilizer but I find using some slow release 16-16-16 (they are not organic) goes long ways in helping the veggies along.
Add organic matter (composted) whenever you can is alway helpful. Make a compost pile next to your garden, add kitchen scraps (no meat, they will attract animals and flies. You don’t want to deal with a pile of maggot, trust me on this one). I also add some dirt and straws to the pile, alternately. Keep the pile moist, they will decompose in a couple of month. This is the hot compost methods. If you just pile thing together and letting them to decompose themselves, it will take longer, and that;s the cold compost method…
The most important thing to grow a garden is to make your soil light and fluffy, rich in organic matter and able to retain water. It may take a few years to build your soil, meaning you may need to add organic matters more often at the beginning. Good luck and happy gardening!

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I have little flies around my indoor organic garden soil that is expensive, in a big pot, how can I kill them?

Question by Mike Stratton: I have little flies around my indoor organic garden soil that is expensive, in a big pot, how can I kill them?
What if, since I live in Phoenix I could put it outside in the sun lets say when its a 112 degrees outside will that kill them or will they come back when the soil gets wet again when I start to grow indoor veggies.

Best answer:

Answer by J Hupp
They are probably gnats attracted to a fungus in the potting mix. Get rid of the fungus, get rid of the gnats.

More info here:

http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf949883.tip.html

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Teaming with Microbes: The Organic Gardener’s Guide to the Soil Food Web, Revised Edition

Teaming with Microbes: The Organic Gardener’s Guide to the Soil Food Web, Revised Edition

• ISBN13: 9781604691139
• Condition: New
• Notes: BRAND NEW FROM PUBLISHER! BUY WITH CONFIDENCE, Over one million books sold! 98% Positive feedback. Compare our books, prices and service to the competition. 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed

Smart gardeners know that soil is anything but an inert substance. Healthy soil is teeming with life — not just earthworms and insects, but a staggering multitude of bacteria, fungi, and other microorganisms. When we use chemical fertilizers, we injure the microbial life that sustains healthy plants, and thus become increasingly dependent on an arsenal of artificial substances, many of them toxic to humans as well as other forms of life. But there is an alternative to this vicious circle: to garden in a way that strengthens, rather than destroys, the soil food web — the complex world of soil-dwelling organisms whose interactions create a nurturing environment for plants. By eschewing jargon and overly technical language, the authors make the benefits of cultivating the soil food web available to a wide audience, from devotees of organic gardening techniques to weekend gardeners who simply want to grow healthy, vigorous plants without resorting to chemicals.

List Price: $ 24.95

Price:

Train’s Soil Mix.AVI

Mixing soil with organic amendments to improve friablity and nutritional value.

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