The Soil Test

I'm not incompetant. I am not the Grim Sower, bringer of death to all things green and pretty. My soil test proves it.

I've been really worried that I'd lost my green thumb. I used to be able to grow things. I had beautiful beds full of herbs and perennials. They'd live. Here, though....everything would die. Sometimes the plant would just immediately start to die. Some plants would thrive for a little while, then turn yellow and no matter how much attention was given to their every need, they would slowly slink off toward a withered and pitiful death. I even killed thyme. I was beginning to believe that I had become a container-only gardener.

I should back up and say that through several moves through very different geographical soil areas, I've always found the old advise from Barbara Damrosch's Garden Primer to work perfectly. It involves digging a bed to about 8 inches, topping it off with enough manure/compost and peat moss to augment whatever soil type you're dealing with, and hoeing it all in. The rest is just gravy. Not so here, even pansies yellow and wilt with not a bloom.

I did a soil test a few weeks ago, not expecting much to come of it. I was wrong. Despite the amendments, the soil pH is 5.3, and the only nutrient I have in adequate amounts is magnesium. The soil is so acid, so porous...everything is leaching out. Not an easy situation to remedy, but still it is a relief to finally have some insight into the problem.

The interesting thing was that virtually everyone in my master gardener class that lived south of the bad had virtually the same result.

I can't wait to see if a little lime (actually, a good bit according to the recommendations of the UF Ag Center) will make a world of difference.