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Organic soil
DrGreenThumb31
Posts: 30
in Fruit & veg
Hey guys just wondering what kind of organic soil (OMRI) based that is good to grow veggies and fruit. Plzzzz help
0
Posts
I've no idea what's available to you in the US DrGT - are you talking about soil for filling a raised bed?
I use a mixture of approx one-third well rotted farm yard manure and two-thirds good quality sieved topsoil and I buy from reputable UK sources.
If you wish to use Certified Organic I'm sure there are some US Organic websites that can give recommendations of brands available to you.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Is your dirt clay, loam or sand?
Most are improved by adding organic matter. this could be peat, compost or well rotted farm yard manure. It depends on what you can get. Even coir or shredded composted bark will help.
If you scrunch a handful in your hand, does it stick together or crumble easily?
damp. If it sticks together its clay, if it falls apart easily and you can see big grains its sand.
I suspect if it grows cacti well, its mainly sand, and free draining.
I have some sand,I add as much organic manure as possible, as the fibre helps retain water instead of it running through. Also sandy soils tend to be hungry soils, the nutrients wash out easily, and you have to add fresh fertiliser every year.
I recommend the use of professional mixes for starting seeds and growing plants to a stage of transplanting to your garden. We grow using Pro Mix BX containing Biofungicides and Mycorrhizae. By doing this we get better control of our plants growth. The biofungicides are microorganisms and natural substances that control diseases that are approved for organic production. These mixes also contain mycorrhizae which are a group of fungi. The fungi are beneficial to plant growth and grow near the root base of the plants. There are 2 types of mycorrhizae. (Ecto and Endo) ectomycorrhizae tend to be helpful with many tree varities. While endo are best for greenhouse plants with vegetables and herbs included in this.
These soils are expensive and if you fill your raised garden beds with them you will be spending a small fortune on those beds. You can use these mixes and add your own organic materials to them. However when doing so be careful to keep you soil ph balanced. (between 6 and 7 is good) garden soil testing is always a big help because it can tell you what your soil is lacking and also help you maintain a proper ph. The soil test will also tell you the trace nutrients and help you get a better balance of what is needed. By trace nutrients I mean boron, copper, iron, chloride, manganese, calcium, molybdenum, and zinc. If mixing in organic materials you can use animal manures to add your nitrogen. However, remember to have at least 3 months from fertilizing to harvest. Especially with leafy and rooted crops to prevent contamination. For phosphorus bone meal is good and for potassium wood ash is good. Natural compost is also good to add to your garden to amend the soil but compost will lose many nutrients through the ageing process.
Happy Gardening!