Below is a good discussion regarding soil amendments and treatments...

Question: I am a first year grower, and I am confused as to what I should be using to fertilize with. I have an existing garden which I have enlarged. I am
adding large amounts of coffee grounds, and as soon as my backyard dries
out I plan on tilling in horse manure and leaf humus. I have read about
blood meal, bone meal, and fish emulsion. I would like to go organic. Does
anyone have a way of simplifying the fertilization process. Miracle Grow
seems to have a good balance of nutrients, but at this point I'm not sure
at all what to use.


Answer from a knowlegable grower: "I would like to go organic" Sounds like you have a decent garden already. Your plans for this spring are all solid building, of healthy soil plans. The manure should be at least a year old. If it is old
you may put on as much as six inches.

....I do not know your personal factors. In the order of importance I will
suggest some additives for you to consider. The suggestions are based on a
patch of aproximately one thousand square feet. Add about twentyfive pounds
of kelpmeal, ten pounds of yellow corn meal and ten pounds of or a blend of
the following...greensand, Azomite from the Fertrell Company or Ironite.
Add twenty five pounds of a good organic fertilizer like one of Fertrell's
products contining a value of not more than 5-3-4.
...Till this in with your manures and composts this spring. You really do
not need much if anything more put into your ground.
...A good basic foliar feeding program common to many good growers includes
the use of fish oil, liquid kelp and black strap liquid molasses. Two
gallons of molasses will last the year for most growers. The fish and kelp
liquids or products that you can add water to a and make liquid will need
to be applied weekly. The molasses goes on at the rate or about two ounces
per week in a gallon of water. When the patch is full of leaves you need
two gallons to foliar feed a two plant patch of about one thousand sq. ft.
.....Most growers have elected to use some insecticides and fungicides. In
the purest sense or organic position in theory or practice I have never
been able to absolutely eliminate all synthetic products. My use is minimal
but not totally eliminated. We continually work in this direciton but have
not succeeded. I leave the chemical decisons to your own plans and
determinations. You have time to make your own research into many avenues
of preventive and other killing insect control plans.

Question: Hello list,

I just wanted to send out a plea for advice. I have been growing for 4
years now and have had a bit of a plateau around 400 lbs. So far we have been
adding compost, chicken manure (sparingly), set up wind barriers, rain water
resevoirs, hot houses in the spring, mounds, etc. etc.

My question is more for the soil preparation for the area directly around
the main root. Earlier, growers were mentioning coffee grounds (how much?,
where?, why?) and high amounts of compost (to what depth?, right around the
main root?, what kind of compost?) Is there anything else I could or should
try in order to crack the 500 lb mark?

Thanks for any input.
Dan Marshall
Stonewall Manitoba

Answer from Cliff Warren: If it's any consolation, I feel exactly the same way. But I would do this:

Get a soil test. This more than anything will tell you what you have
and help you make decisions for the future. I did this, and it changed
my plans... I now know a little more about what I need to do. I could tell
you, but this advice would be specific for my patch. For example, my
soil is very heavy in salts... I now know that I need to take steps to lower
the salts and avoid adding things that will raise the salts.

I plan on incorporating mychorrizae (check the spelling) to my growing...
I don't know, but I hope this helps. I had a plant go totally down with
something last year. But from what I read, these diseases aren't necessarily
an "all or nothing" sort of situation. One plant may go down, another might
just be severely limited because of the disease. Yet it might not be
immediately apparent what the problem is.

Regards, Cliff