Diggin the dirt and doing the good work

 

 

I finally was able to go get some soil and my zucchini. Due to budget constraints I couldn't buy the really good stuff so this will suffice. MG Organic In Ground Soil and the best looking 4" container of zucchini that had good growth, more than one plant and no broken leaves. Also bought a shovel.

Pointed shovel with long handle. Almost bought the shorter D handle one but am so glad I didn't. That shovel sunk right down with only moderate pushing from my foot. Wonderful! It was still damp from yesterdays full watering and so it was perfect conditions. I waited until the garden area was in full shade before I went out to dig. Smart but still busted a sweat and worked some muscles I haven't used in a few months.

After dumping the soil onto the dug up bed. Didn't get a picture of the soil and that pile is about a foot and a half tall. I didn't work smart on this really but it got done. I'm thinking I needed another bag but this will do for now.

All dug through as well as I could, all pretty and had to reset the board in the front. Again. Total it's about 3x4 bed and I dug the full depth of the shovel down.  This soil smelled earthy and a bit manurish but that is good. I haven't even put the fertilizer in yet because I didn't plant the zucchini yet.

 

Do not be alarmed if some of your compost is a bit grey. This could be microscopic fungi that is very beneficial or it could just be dried compost. Either way, dig it in! Almost looks like charcoal but it's just dried up compost. Got a little baked in the heat.

All dug in and looking good. Still think another bag of soil would do wonders but we'll see.

The bed 'next door'. Yes that is purslane, some grass of some sort, a small sprig of mint that was pulled from the main patch, the dead rose branch they tried to grow and other assorted weeds. Sigh. (Oh and my zucchini still in it's pot down in the corner.)

Knowing that I will be leaving a nice loose fresh bed of soil that smells absolutely heavenly (to animals) this is how I decided to safeguard it over night. Lots of spare tomato cages and putting the empty bag on top along with the hoe. We'll see how that works. Going to have to get some screen or shade cloth to cover it until the plant is big enough to fend off critters.

Something that is very good to have on the back of a bag is how much soil you need. (Sorry it's blurry will take a better picture tomorrow) But roughly 24 sqft needs 4 bags dug in at 3". I was a bit deeper than that and for a raised bed it calls for the same amount. My bed is about 3x4 = 12sq ft so that's half. I was right thinking I needed two bags but I would also need a taller board to hold it. The instructions say to use a 3" layer mixed in to 6" of soil for amending a garden bed. That's about right, you want about half the composition of the existing soil amended.

I mentioned the composition about soils and fertilzers before so here's the label.

Now look at those numbers and the source. Not going to go into the details but it says you don't need to fertilze for three months. Horse Hockey. Those numbers are so low as to be insignificant to a starting plant or seed. It's what you usually find in any compost so they didn't really add anything to it other than trace amounts from feather, bone and soybean meal.

Now another difference is in the source for the compost above that analysis. California, Oregon, Texas and Idaho have to be mentioned for the difference of their components which the base product above is compost and processed forest products and the fertilizer. Otherwise it would have sphagnum peat moss, rice hulls and/or coir (coconut fiber) as well. 

Now here we go with labeling that is legally required but it is all the same stuff for those states. Why not just put it all on the same line? Because they had to fill in the area with some words that's why. Now one thing that could be different is where the forest products are sourced from. Forests are different in Oregon than Texas or, where MG is based, Ohio.

Believe it or not we have had people return soil because it smelled too much. Notice there is no animal manure in this mix and yet it stank to high heaven (in a good way). The more you look at that label and read it, the more ludicrous it gets.

I GOTS PEPPERS GROWING !