“To thine own self be true.”
SOMETIMES IT IS extremely important to take one’s own advice and, for me, never is that more important than now. But we will get back to that in just a moment.
A reader’s question came in last week and this re-sparked my interest after reading Pat Neal’s column (PDN, Sept. 4) on gardening the other week.
Both dealt with vegetable gardens not performing well or even up to the slightest expectations.
Hi Andrew,
We bought “garden grade” soil and were assured it would perform beyond our wildest expectations.
We filled our planter boxes and lovingly planted seeds (yellow squash and green beans) in our wonderful new dirt … and we waited.
It was early July, but we thought with thorough watering each day and TLC, we should have no problems!
Well, it is now September, and we have plants that are still 2 to 3 inches tall.
Can you help us?
Thank you. — Marti
Dear Marti, yes, I believe I can and, believe it or not, I am in the exact same boat.
I, too, had several old, raised vegetable beds dug out, due to the old soil and replaced with “garden grade” soil.
Guess what? Many of the vegetable plants, to this day, are still extremely stunted.
So, what are gardeners like you and I to do?
That’s easy. Take my often-printed advice and get your soil tested. I neglected my often-repeating advice, believing “garden grade” soil meant precisely that!
But alas, for us and many others, it did not.
We are so fortunate here in Clallam County through Clallam Conservation District (228 W. First St., in Armory Square, Port Angeles, phone 360-775-3747) to have our own soil tested and an analysis performed according to the exact crop or plants you are going to grow in said soil.
Soil testing is a tool used to make informed decisions about the management of soil nutrients — whether for a garden, lawn, field or forest.
Soil tests provide information on fertilizer needs, helping to save money and time.
Soil tests can also help protect the environment from contaminated runoff or groundwater pollution caused by over-fertilization.
Return your soil to the Clallam Conservation District office on the first or third Wednesday of the month, along with $28 per sample to cover the cost of the lab testing.
When they receive your soil test results from the lab, generally within 14 to 20 days, they will email or mail back the results to you.
They will then help you interpret the results by phone, or in person at their office, and determine how to proceed with any recommendations made by the soil testing lab.
When to take a soil test
Soil tests should be taken in the spring or fall for established sites, and at any time of year for new seeding and plantings.
Taking a soil test every two to three years is usually adequate to monitor nutrient levels. However, if management practices change, more frequent testing maybe necessary.
Where to take a soil test
Avoid sampling unusual spots, such as manure piles or swampy areas.
Separate samples should be taken if areas are managed differently, or if crop or slope are different.
How to take a soil sample
Step 1. Remove vegetation and organic material on the surface of the area to be sampled.
Step 2. Take soil samples to the correct depth. If you use your shovel and a knife, dig a hole 4 to 6 inches deep. Take a slice of soil ½-inch thick at 4 to 6 inches deep and keep it on the shovel. From the center of this slice, cut a strip 1½ inches wide from top to bottom and put it in the bucket.
Step 3. Take a representative sample. Follow step two to obtain 10 to 15 subsamples in your bucket, taken from random locations within the sampling area.
Step 4. Mix and package the soil sample. Thoroughly mix the sub-samples in the bucket. Break up any large clumps of soil. Remove extra debris such as rocks and roots. Fill a gallon plastic zipper bag at least half full of soil. Make sure you fill this bag at least half full.
Step 5. Bring your soil sample to the Clallam Conservation District office the first or third Wednesday of the month between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m.
The results will be back in about 14 to 20 days.
Refrigerate your sample if it will be more than 24 hours to get it to them.
So, test your soil, and do stay well all.
________
Andrew May is a freelance writer and ornamental horticulturist who dreams of having Clallam and Jefferson counties nationally recognized as “Flower Peninsula USA.” Send him questions c/o Peninsula Daily News, P.O. Box 1330, Port Angeles, WA 98362, or email news@peninsuladailynews.com (subject line: Andrew May).
