I have an inquiry. Soil will be dug to create a pit. This pit soil will be used in containers for the garden this spring.
How should the soil be amended and with what for it to be a good growing soil. The ground is in Colorado and it is a dense soil. There is a portion of clay in it.
go to a local school 4H program. they will do a soil test for you usually.
Originally Posted by Gunfixr
Soil test first thing. Add as much compost to it as you can. Nutrients as needed.
Last edited by bacpacker; 03-09-2015 at 12:17 AM.
You'll probably want to mix some sand in to help loosen it and facilitate drainage; probably some peat moss and manure to add vitamins and minerals. You may still need to add a fertiliser.
If you have a pool or a friend that does, use a simply litmus ph tester to check the acidity of the soil. From here you can add ash or pine needles to adjust as needed.
Good luck!
Give a man fire, and he'll be warm for a day!
Light a man on fire, and he'll be warm for the rest of his life!
Cat's are food... not friends!
If you're going to fight, then fight like you're the third monkey on the ramp into Noah's arc... and brother, it's starting to rain.
Manure and peat will help any soil. PH can also be tested with a meter. I got one a few years back, has a 4" probe, just stick it in the dirt and take a reading.
Mine has a library of various plants with the best range of settings. They can be picked up at most seed catalogs.
Last edited by bacpacker; 03-09-2015 at 12:18 AM.
Gypsum will help breakdown the clay in the soil.
Sand and clay can tend to harden like cement.
If the soil from the pit is too bad, you might be better off just getting potting or garden soil from the garden store especially in the containers.
In my area more than 6 inches deep and it is usually pretty sterile unless you have built it up with compost.
We could make pottery with the soil 10" down in our yard.
Common sense is so rare these days, it should be re-classified as a super power.
I can do the same below 4". that's the main reason I do all raised gardens.
Give a man fire, and he'll be warm for a day!
Light a man on fire, and he'll be warm for the rest of his life!
Cat's are food... not friends!
If you're going to fight, then fight like you're the third monkey on the ramp into Noah's arc... and brother, it's starting to rain.
Raised beds here also. with my soil I can make a pond real easy, but can't grow crap.
"When injustice becomes law, resistance becomes DUTY!" - Thomas Jefferson
Obviously you will need to amend the soil and the others have given you some great suggestions. You might check with the local nursery they can be a great help and may offer you classes. I have been gardening for years and I am taking a soils class at one of our nurseries in two weeks just to get a tune up.
In our state there is piles of information you can obtain either from the local junior college or the state college system.
If it is predictable then it is preventable....... Gordon Graham
So if it is predictable and preventable then you better prepare.
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