tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8990106030730942804.post5151079574444629769..comments2023-09-29T01:33:05.270-07:00Comments on A Kootenay Country Garden: Wrestling with soil science.Ien in the Kootenayshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01766317652520657570noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8990106030730942804.post-59090343298174653332013-02-07T17:21:50.165-08:002013-02-07T17:21:50.165-08:00John Steinbeck talks about farmers tasting soil in...John Steinbeck talks about farmers tasting soil in The Grapes of Wrath. Wild goat poop and dirt from bat caves sounds great!Ien in the Kootenayshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01766317652520657570noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8990106030730942804.post-28601930676461092912013-02-07T17:19:13.722-08:002013-02-07T17:19:13.722-08:00Where is the comment on your site? I asked you onc...Where is the comment on your site? I asked you once if you had read the book yet, on FB I think, but one cannot react to all internet stuff. That's more or less what I am inclined to think. But I might take samples from all over, just once, to see if there is any blatant shortages or excesses. Steve covers the issue in his book. I was going to take samples today and got intimidated by the process...<br />Ien in the Kootenayshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01766317652520657570noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8990106030730942804.post-17145069698579593362013-02-07T16:23:59.410-08:002013-02-07T16:23:59.410-08:00That sounds familiar, :)That sounds familiar, :)Ien in the Kootenayshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01766317652520657570noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8990106030730942804.post-90724260795764941192013-02-07T08:30:48.713-08:002013-02-07T08:30:48.713-08:00Hey Ien! This is a dupe comment from the one I lef...Hey Ien! This is a dupe comment from the one I left on my site, but I wanted to try again to get it here too. Anyway, I tried to comment on your site last night from my phone but got locked out and then had to go to bed. Great review of the Solomon book. I'm a devoted GVWotC groupie, but have not had the most positive of experiences on that soil forum, and frankly, have turned more toward the Permie-influenced stuff than the Albrecht-influenced stuff for now. I've also struggled with the practicality and expense of custom-designed soil amendments based on soil tests when every one of my 15 raised beds + all the other areas of my garden all will have slightly different soil compositions. I mean, I'll invest in my garden, but I'm not running 20 lab soil tests every year. This seems more practical for row-cropping style gardens, where you can ensure a fairly consistent soil mineral content over a large area via tilling. I'll seek out the new book, though, and give it a go. I hadn't actually realized that it was published. Thanks!Erica / Northwest Edible Lifehttp://www.nwedible.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8990106030730942804.post-28322773131407996252013-02-06T13:06:37.013-08:002013-02-06T13:06:37.013-08:00Hi, Ien,
I have more than enough science in my edu...Hi, Ien,<br />I have more than enough science in my educational history to bore good folks to coma. I have gone all over the map from titrated NPK+trace elements to wild goat poop mixed with leaf litter and dirt from bat caves. No way did I even once try for even a single-blinded trial, so of course I came to the conclusion: "It's all good."<br />Without boring you about the relative availability of the various nutrients, the acid-base balance has the biggest influence on soil fertility, in my experience. I do check the pH all year, but it's more to spot trends toward acidity, with a bit of lime "sweetening" only where it's needed. I remember my uncles in Illinois showing us city boys how they could tell if the soil was sweet or sour by tasting it, but I never fell for it. To this day, I suspect they were trying to get us kids to bite a chunk of a meadow muffin!Barryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15483102573957001593noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8990106030730942804.post-75125088589807337612013-02-05T22:23:24.823-08:002013-02-05T22:23:24.823-08:00I'm in the midst of a massive to-do list, so I...I'm in the midst of a massive to-do list, so I feel your pain. Sometimes it's easy for me to get started on something but hard to wrap it up. Hence a pile of clothes on my ironing board I'm supposted to be listing on ebay, a pile of books unread in the corner, and my rusty garden tools that I keep meaning to sharpen and oil.<br /><br />As for compost, I'm quite lazy, so nothing much comes of it until about two years later. I've just about forgotten it's there and then voila, a nice surprise.<br /><br />Christine in Alaska, waiting for springChristine B.https://www.blogger.com/profile/08335289758548637661noreply@blogger.com