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Monday, September 22, 2014

Improvement for sorry soil


I love my flower gardens but I am guilty of neglecting the soil health in them. I kind of just let them fend for themselves and concentrate all or most of my efforts and compost where there are edibles. Not today. This little patch out the front has soil like cement. I claimed it from the lawn a few years ago and the lawn definitely wants it back but I'm not giving in. Things are growing here but nothing thrives. More organic matter is needed to improve the soil and to encourage the earthworms and microorganisms that this would be a good place to live.
compost

 I weeded and believe me those weeds didn't want to come out. The soil is that hard that a mattock is the weapon of choice for breaking it. I added some compost of which there is never enough, watered well and added a layer of mulch. That's enough for now but I'll keep working on it with some compost tea and manure and all those good and glamorous  things.


It actually looks no better but I know that I've done some good. Perhaps if I plant a couple of edibles in there, I'll make sure it gets all the extra care it needs. The addition of some more plants won't hurt the soil profile either. In fact I'm going to log off the computer soon and sow some buckwheat and  zucchini.
Tracy

4 comments:

KERYN B said...

Bet your arms were sore after digging that over lol. It will be worth it when the worms come..

Anonymous said...

Hi Tracy thankyou for sharing your hints and tips i find them very interesting reguarding your garden,hope you have a lovely day my friend.xx

africanaussie said...

Oh you have the same birdbath as i do! i am sure that the ocmpost under the mulch will be attracting more worms as we speak. How aobut growing parsley?

Tania said...

I find I neglect my flower garden too, so I can concentrate on the veggies. I have been meaning to get and give it a tidy up, but haven't got there yet.

Yours will soon be looking better when those plants feel the benefit of all the compost and manure.

They will love that mulch!

x