pH of Soil

Now that my plants are starting to bloom I have the growing concern of how the will do when I transplant them to my backyard.   Sure they're doing great here with warm conditions and miracle grow potting soil.  But my yard is not made of miracle grow potting soil.   Its dusty stuff where you have to water very slowy for the water to soak into the dirt.  Otherwise it will just slide across the top.

Burpee Soil Tester

I've been reading that a good gardener knows the pH of their soil.  So I set out to determine the pH of the soil in my backyard.   Now before hand I had already found a website from a gardening club in El Paso.  The El Paso Master Gardeners.   I picked up some neat tips from the website especially for a tomato plant.  There they mention the pH of soil in El Paso.  It has a pH between a 7.5 and 8.   Now I'm no expert but here is what I've learned through research.   A pH of 7 is neutral soil.  Anything higher means the soild has alkaline.   Anything lower means the soil is acidic.  So my soil is probably alkaline.   To be sure I decided to purchase one of those pH meters for $20.  I followed the instructions on the packaging.    I dug a hole removing the top 2 inches of soil and loosened the dirt 6 inches below then soaked with distilled water so that it was muddy.   I put the meter in on one part of my garden and the pH was 6.5 and in another part it was 7.   I thought this was odd.  I was pretty sure my soil was alkaline because of what the El Paso Master Gardeners had posted on their website.  So I had found this other neat website instructing how to test soil if it is acidic or alkaline.   Basically if it is alkaline it will have a reaction to vinegar.   If it is acidic it will have a reaction to baking soda mixed in water.  So I did my little science experiment and sure enough I saw a fizz in the soil as it swelled up when I added vinegar.   No reaction with the backing soda.  That little meter had said my soil was neutral or acidic.   Needless to say that pH meter is going back to the store.   I've researched a bit and most people agree that the pH meters with the metal rods don't work.   I'm yet another person who agrees.  So next time I'm buying a different kit that reacts to chemicals and will turn to a certain color based on the pH.  Those sound more accurate by what I have read different people on the internet have used.   There has been no bad rep on those yet.   So my advise, don't buy a pH meter.

So why all this hype about soil pH?  Basically all the plants that I will be gardening prefer a neutral to acidic pH.   That's not to say they won't grow in alkaline soil.  A lot of them have plenty of tolerance but if I can do something about this why not.  Why do plants prefer a different pH.  My understanding is that at their preferred pH they are better able to absorb the nutrients they need from the soil.   If those soil's pH is out of the plants tolerance level even if fertilizers are applied they won't be able to absorb the nutrients.  This is what I've read.   If you want to know more, Google it. 

Now, to remedy my soil pH.   I have a few options.   To lower soil pH I can add sulfur, peat moss or vinegar to the soil.   Peat moss and vinegar are pretty easy to get, but sulfur?  I've looked at some gardening centers and haven't found anything that outright says sulfur.   I've seen a few fertilizers that include it as one of the ingredients.   Peat Moss is common and I read it has a very low pH.   But just think of how much peat moss I would need to buy to mix into my garden.  Vinegar is easily available and cheap, but if I put to much my garden will smell like vinegar and burn all my plants.   If used, I will use a lot of caution with this one.  Oh there is one other option.   Pine needles.   This is neat.   If I get a chance to go to Ruidoso, NM this year, I'll be sure to bring home a bag full of pine needles.  And I suppose the little pine I have in the corner of my yard can't hurt either.    So those are my options.  I haven't decided yet and will do plenty of research before applying any of them.   Okay except the peat moss.  I don't mind playing with that.

When I get my little lab kit to test the soil with colors I will be sure to let you know the results.

Starting Seeds in a mini Greenhouse

Okay so I was so eager this year to start I planted some seeds on Jan 23rd.  I planted a bunch in some egg shells and some in a little greenhouse that I purchased a few years ago and unsuccessfully grew anything.
I planted the corn.   The pumpkins and squash and the onion seeds.  Now I thought myself to have great memory (which I don't)   and I didn't label which was which.   I suppose any good gardener would but I'm not a good gardener.  Anyhow there are two things I planted and don't remember what they are.   If and when they sprout I'll try to identify them.  Wish me luck for the challenge I made for myself.

Okay so I got my little green house and planted my mystery seed.  I put them on a west facing window and the next day realized there was no way they were getting enough heat.  So I decided to move them and put them on top of my floor heater when its not on.   The pilot provides plenty of heat alone.  By Friday, Jan 28th I get these little pale green sticks sticking out.
The corn!
Its a fast grower and I realize I probably planted it too early.  Its going to be ready to go outside before the weather permits.  So I'll have to think up something to do with it before then.


Now I realize that putting this tray on and off the heater while it is between heating my house and heating seeds is quite a hassle.   So I decide I really need to purchase a seed warmer.  On top of that I really don't have but one window in my house that faces south and gets a good amount of sunlight.   So as a fix I set out to buy a seed warmer and a grow light.  However it turns out that the local Lowes, Home Depot, or Walmart don't carry seed warmers.  So I resorted to Amazon and purchased a seed warmer for $25 with free shipping.  Unfortunately it won't get here until Friday February 4th.   At least it will make a perfect birthday gift.
Fortunately I did find some grow lights at the local Lowes and purchased a small spot 65 watt grow light.   I'll probably need something bigger but this will do for now.   I will be using it with a desk lamp.


Okay so a week later here we have it.  The  corn on the left and we see some squash/pumpkin sprouts on the right.   Remember I don't know which is which.  But these guys are pretty aggressive pushing up the soil and bursting out.  You'll see here my mishap when I left the tray on the heater when it turned on and the front of the tray melted.   Good thing I caught it before the rest of the tray melted and I had cooked the seeds.


Okay last picture.   Here I believe I have the sprouts of the Yellow Onion.  I think these are onion because of the way they are coming out of the ground bent and with no leaves.  I googled for pictures of the onion sprouts and they looked similar.  I'm very excited to grow my own onions from seed.  Wow!
They are tiny and you have to look very closely.   They are barely visible.
Hopefully the pictures that I put are zoomed in enough.

Gardening Plans for 2011

Okay so its 2011. This year I'm determined to create a garden of edible foods.

I've chosen a few vegetables and herbs that I would like to have.

For vegetables I've chosen

1. Squash - Dark Green Zucchini
2. Pumpkin - Small Sugar
3. Squash - Straightneck Early Yellow

I chose squash because I hear you can eat their flowers and I'm eager to see how they turn out. Plus adding a bit of squash to your cooking is always a plus.

I've also picked

1. Onion - Sweet SpanishYellow Uatah Jumbo
2. White Texas Sweet Onion
3. Red Onion
4. Chives
5. Shallots

Okay onion is just essential to cooking. You can put it in virtually anything. Now for the onion I will be using bulbs for the white and red and shallots but I will be starting from seeds for the yellow onion and chives.

Also I've always wanted to grow corn. I always liked to see in the movies how people would run through the corn fields so I wanted to bring a tiny bit of that to my home. So I picked

1. Sweet Corn Golden Cross Bantam Hybrid
2. and Early Gold Bantam

Two plants I was just plain curious about were

1. Okra - Clemson Spinless
2. Egglplant - Burpee Hybrid

Now I love tomatoes. And I grew one tomato plant last year and it was big success for being my first ever. The only problem was that I planted it mid summer so its freezing out in the cold right now. This year I'm starting on time. I'll be planting

1. Roma VF - I hear this is great for tomato paste
2. Tomato Money Maker - this is what is freezing outside right now
3. Better Boy Hybrid - this are supposed to be big

Okay for spices I've chosen

1. Basil
2. Oregano
3. Parsley
4. Lavender
5. Cilantro
6. Epazote (Wormseed)
7. Spearmint
8. Hibiscus (Red Drop) what I think Mexicans call Jamaica

Okay so what I'm planning to get most of them started within the month of February. Now hopefully I have room for all these indoors and outdoors. I will be posting pictures. My goal is every week and some notes on my progress.