Hey guys, I really have got great results from doing this. I hope it helps or maybe give you an idea to try. Let me know what you think and thanks for watching.
@robertschmidt9296 Wood ash is very alkaline which would raise the ph even more. He is trying to lower the ph which means making more acidic. Gypsum is a miracle for clay soils. That’s what you want to use.
@@dsulli7383 I always get the ph scale backwards. I need to figure out a way to remember it. Like for example, I used to have a problem with spring forward/fall back. It's easy to fall forward and fall back, but it's much harder to spring back than it is to spring forward. Thanks for answering.
Sounds like good advice.....I have clay soil as well. I use chicken manure bedding, wood ash and crushed egg shells , compost, and mix it all together in the garden. I got good size potatoes and plentiful. For fall crops plants like Jerusalem artichokes, and garlic, I layer with a blanket of moss to keep protected over the winter and remove in the spring when i see sprouts popping up.....then i will use the moss in the bottom of raised beds or as a barrior against the fence line to keep the soil from running out when heavy rain tends to wash my soil though the fence line.
It sounds like everything you use is great for the garden. Mixing everything in the garden is a smart way of doing it. I'm going to try raised beds next year for the vegetables that I have a hard time growing in my garden. It should be interesting. Thanks for sharing what you do in your garden. I appreciate it.
By adding wood ashes you are raising your ph even higher. Ashes are a great source of potassium but you need to add gypsum as well to bring your ph back down and it’s full of calcium which is great.
Great information, Jon….I like your method of improving soil, giving the soil life something to eat, and then covering it. I’ve noticed worm activity goes off the charts when I do this…
Thanks, Bill. You bring up a good point, I forgot to mention the benefit of worms. They play a huge part in amending soil. You can never go wrong with adding organic matter to your soil. Thanks for the comment.
You should never grow potatoes in the same space every year. Move them around so that they are only grown in that space every third year. Grow beans where they were planted the previous year to enrich the soil.
Great advice. I plant mine where I had sweet corn the previous year. I learned the hard way with zucchini this year what can happen if you don't rotate crops. Thanks for sharing and watching. I appreciate it.
Actually it’s just the opposite. Gypsum is known as a “soil softener”. It transforms hard pan clay into a nice textured soil. I don’t recommend using granular, only powder. I promise you gypsum is like a miracle for clay soils. It won’t lower your ph as much as pure sulphur, so you can put it on heavier and also get the added benefit of a high calcium content. Here in the Sacramento valley we have clay soils. farmers apply gypsum yearly to almond and walnut orchards as a top dress. I apply it yearly to my vegetable gardens and mix it in. Tomatoes will be especially great with a good amount of gypsum. They will never get blossom end rot.
Gypsum does “bind” clay soil particles together but that doesn’t make it harder to work. It makes the soil easier to work. The problem with clay is that it’s the finest particle size type of soil. By binding these tiny particles into bigger particles you make the soil easier to work. With yearly applications of compost and gypsum you can turn sticky clay into the most amazing loam soil.
@dsulli7383 I am definitely going to have to do some more reading on this. I use egg shells for my tomatoes, but it's a little bit of work grinding them into a powder, so I like the idea of using this instead. It's definitely worth checking into. Thanks for the great comment.
I am assuming hutterites are stores, so it would be a lot easier to buy them. That's not the point. The satisfaction of growing your own food is worth the time and effort. If you have never tried to garden, try it. I'll bet you'll love it. Thanks for watching.
lol. No. Hutterites are like Amish people. Similar to Mennonites. I only know this because the area where I go goose hunting in Canada most of the farm land is owned by Hutterites.
Thanks for Sharing Jon. Lots of good info here. You know your stuff.
I'm glad you liked it. I think you're being too kind by saying I know my stuff, I've screwed potatoes up several times. Thanks for the kind words.
Hey guys, I really have got great results from doing this. I hope it helps or maybe give you an idea to try. Let me know what you think and thanks for watching.
Would wood ash work?
@robertschmidt9296
Wood ash is very alkaline which would raise the ph even more. He is trying to lower the ph which means making more acidic. Gypsum is a miracle for clay soils. That’s what you want to use.
@@dsulli7383 I always get the ph scale backwards. I need to figure out a way to remember it. Like for example, I used to have a problem with spring forward/fall back. It's easy to fall forward and fall back, but it's much harder to spring back than it is to spring forward. Thanks for answering.
Sounds like good advice.....I have clay soil as well. I use chicken manure bedding, wood ash and crushed egg shells , compost, and mix it all together in the garden. I got good size potatoes and plentiful. For fall crops plants like Jerusalem artichokes, and garlic, I layer with a blanket of moss to keep protected over the winter and remove in the spring when i see sprouts popping up.....then i will use the moss in the bottom of raised beds or as a barrior against the fence line to keep the soil from running out when heavy rain tends to wash my soil though the fence line.
It sounds like everything you use is great for the garden. Mixing everything in the garden is a smart way of doing it. I'm going to try raised beds next year for the vegetables that I have a hard time growing in my garden. It should be interesting. Thanks for sharing what you do in your garden. I appreciate it.
By adding wood ashes you are raising your ph even higher. Ashes are a great source of potassium but you need to add gypsum as well to bring your ph back down and it’s full of calcium which is great.
@@dsulli7383 thanks for the advice, I don't put much ash in the garden, just a little.
I have also used wood ash in the past. I feel a thin layer does help.
Great information, Jon….I like your method of improving soil, giving the soil life something to eat, and then covering it. I’ve noticed worm activity goes off the charts when I do this…
Thanks, Bill. You bring up a good point, I forgot to mention the benefit of worms. They play a huge part in amending soil. You can never go wrong with adding organic matter to your soil. Thanks for the comment.
You should never grow potatoes in the same space every year. Move them around so that they are only grown in that space every third year. Grow beans where they were planted the previous year to enrich the soil.
Great advice. I plant mine where I had sweet corn the previous year. I learned the hard way with zucchini this year what can happen if you don't rotate crops. Thanks for sharing and watching. I appreciate it.
Powdered gypsum is a better option than straight sulfur
Doesn't gypsum bind to clay soil, making it harder to work? I've read this but never used gypsum. If this is wrong, please let me know.
Actually it’s just the opposite. Gypsum is known as a “soil softener”. It transforms hard pan clay into a nice textured soil. I don’t recommend using granular, only powder. I promise you gypsum is like a miracle for clay soils. It won’t lower your ph as much as pure sulphur, so you can put it on heavier and also get the added benefit of a high calcium content. Here in the Sacramento valley we have clay soils. farmers apply gypsum yearly to almond and walnut orchards as a top dress. I apply it yearly to my vegetable gardens and mix it in. Tomatoes will be especially great with a good amount of gypsum. They will never get blossom end rot.
Gypsum does “bind” clay soil particles together but that doesn’t make it harder to work. It makes the soil easier to work. The problem with clay is that it’s the finest particle size type of soil. By binding these tiny particles into bigger particles you make the soil easier to work. With yearly applications of compost and gypsum you can turn sticky clay into the most amazing loam soil.
@dsulli7383 I am definitely going to have to do some more reading on this. I use egg shells for my tomatoes, but it's a little bit of work grinding them into a powder, so I like the idea of using this instead. It's definitely worth checking into. Thanks for the great comment.
I can hardly grow any root vegetables because of gophers.
Perhaps try planting gopher purge among them.
I fight moles, but I don't have gophers where I'm at. Do they make gopher traps?
@@jonbussey5353 yes sir.
Why would I grow these i can get them from the hutterites for next to nothin all year long
What is the hutterites?
I am assuming hutterites are stores, so it would be a lot easier to buy them. That's not the point. The satisfaction of growing your own food is worth the time and effort. If you have never tried to garden, try it. I'll bet you'll love it. Thanks for watching.
lol. No. Hutterites are like Amish people. Similar to Mennonites. I only know this because the area where I go goose hunting in Canada most of the farm land is owned by Hutterites.