Garden Soil & Minerals 101 || Black Gumbo
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- Опубликовано: 22 фев 2021
- In this video we will discuss soil health and how to have exceptionally good gardening soil through mineralization. This kind of topic is sure to step on some toes of those who believe that feet upon feet worth of compost is the best way to garden organically. This might also be contrary to what you have heard about organic gardening if you have read anything in the Rodale tradition or the Back to Eden method tradition. All legit methods for sure, but lack one essential element. Give it some thought, learn about actual soil, and learn the benefits of mineralizing your soil.
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Black Gumbo shares our suburban, backyard, sustainable gardening efforts. We work a small-scale, typical Zone 9a garden and raised beds, the kind of gardening accessible to all. We tend to take the slice of life approach and hope you will enjoy our family, our dog, our cooking, our adventures, and occasionally some commentary and advice. We love family, joy and friendship, and we invite you to enjoy these things with us!
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There is the remnant of a once magnificent Garden pre-1870 and after the passing of the architect of that magnificent Garden it fell in neglect.
As the decades of time has passed the floor of that once magnificent garden has been reclaimed by Mother Nature and with 160+
Years of detritus and the natural cycles of climate and vegetation there is a treasure of wonderful dark rich microbe and earthworm cultivated soil. It even has a wonderful aroma you rarely ever experience. It is now all private property and visitors are no longer welcome but that place has the richest soil for growing plants I ever saw. Now that’s a real gardening treasure!
Ahhhhh dang....I wish I could get heaps of that black gold into my garden beds....even to just run my fingers through it and see all the creepy crawlies and earthworms and ....bet that stuff would be great potting mix.... I'd even help the owner out doing chores or whatever in exchange...that would be great
@@davidschmidt270 I could kick myself in the rear for having been in the garden sometime before the new owner locked the place down and I never took any of that rich “black gold” soils to amend in my garden. Hindsight is 20-20. There were also some exotic tropical species at one time in the Garden too. The original owner had steam pipes running underground to keep the soil warm in winter to keep his delicate tropical species alive. Alas almost all those unique exotic trees and plants died out long ago and all that remains are a few non-native invasive species that have little real value in a landscape.
@@Aswaguespack Damm...that blows for sure. I'm sorry that happened to you. One thing I think kinda helps me is not trying to go overboard, grow stuff that's easy to grow n just enjoy the garden...not going all crazy planting all kinds of exotic this that and everything else you know?
At least that's how I try to look at it anyways
All you need to do is go down to the nearest river bank and there ya go. Some of the best stuff on eartg
That harder clay is my whole yard. Been working on it for a few years and it is getting better.
Great tips. One of my raised beds, I got soil from a farmer friend and he filled my bed with his soil. The first year I grew great veggies but now after 4 years year after year I added compost and rock dust and peat moss to loosen the soil up because I have to use a Shovel to plant anything in there and nothing seems to grow very nice in there. So I’m going to try to turn mine and add more organic matter into it. Wish me luck.
TY Scott very informative
Very interesting 💕
I’m gonna stop telling people I am an organic gardener. I’m a “stop gap” gardener. Haha. Nice video Scott. Soil science makes me get my nerd on.
I being one of those who use 'excessive' amounts of compost, found it interesting that you make a difference between compost and minerals. I had always been taught that there are massive amounts of minerals in compost. I guess it all depends on what you put in your compost to begin with. All the food scraps, chicken manure, egg shells and yard waste I charge my compost piles with should have plenty of mineral content. I have never been a big proponent of using soil tests for my garden, maybe I'll give it a go and see if I am lacking anything.
Wood chips used as mulch also have good mineral content, as long as the type used is whole tree. Bark mulch, hardwood mulch ect. lacking in the green material of the tree is more barren of nutrients. Wood chips (chipped up trees from an arborist) are a slow release method to put minerals in your soil. Many of the benefits of burying branches under beds can be obtained by spreading 4-6 inches of wood chips on top. Other benefits include water retention, weed control and stabilizing surface soil temperatures.
Berry well ! I do that more or mess top .. 😆
Yeah I got a trip out of this video...
the NPK in most composts is pretty low. for example leaf compost might be 1/1/1 if that. the main role of compost is to allow the soil to be loose so roots can get to the minerals in the soil is what my dad says.
Dr. Robert Pavlis’s book “Soil Science for Gardeners” is an excellent resource and highly informational work explaining the science, biology, and chemistry of Soil. It’s a great resource and clears up some misconceptions about what is in soil and how it affects plant life.
Another fine Informational Video Scott. Keep ‘em coming our way. 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
Started my first seeds from a store-bought pepper in a one-gallon water jug I cut in half almost a year ago. Then got bit by the gardening bug! This year I have 5 raised beds ready to go, some planted with lettuce, kale, collards, mustard, and beans. But the unexpected winter storm that reached all the way down here to central Texas knocked it all out! Yard is basically backfill, so loosened it up, added quite a bit of peat moss and a lot of compost. Thanks for great video... Yesterday I planted a bunch of peppers, eggplants, and marigolds that I started from seed back in December. I think I need to amend a bit still!
Scott,
ThisIt is great that you keep pointing out that plants do not feed off compost ... one must feed the SOIL, which through soil life then produces material the plants can feed upon. I am learning a lot about this as well!
I will say I think you have opened up a lot of areas of discussion and perhaps debate, for example:
1. Charles Dowding does not mention amending soil with minerals much in his videos ... it's all compost. But, it seems a huge factor is what PRODUCTS you add to your compost. Not all compost is necessarily equal.
2. Patrick from One Yard Revolution -- he seems to have retired from making videos ;-( -- insists that rock dust is not necessary if you add large amounts of autumn leaves both as mulch and into compost. But, he lives in a northern climate - Chicago - and you in Houston might not have access to that big of a variety of autumn leaves. You think that might be a factor? If I understand it correctly, trees mine deeply and bring up minerals, which then get deposited in the leaves. Another plant that also does this is Comfrey.
Thanks so much!
Thank you, Garden nerds like us love this information 😊
Thanks for the information. I was watching the video and I was worried about you getting a sunburn in your face. It was red. I hope your skin is more resistant than I think. Take care of yourself.
Just got my soil test back from A&M. Now to decipher what it means.
That would actually make a great video! He should do one.
we started 8 raised beds 3 years ago (central minnesota) with hugelkultur-old wood/branches on bottom--1st year ok///2 yr better/ 3rd yr -this yr-drought. yes we watered but they did very well considering hotter summer--low humidity- i will build a few more bed with hugelkultur---taller the raised beds=more water needed-evaporation around the sides?? my wife likes taller for green beans-less bending low (both knees replaced)
we let some parsnips go to seed last 2 years--more beneficials?? pretty much chemical free--lots of leaves collecting in fall--love leaves-pull minerals from down deep in the earth-- love your advice for beginners-and old guys like me. need to keep adding leaves/compost yearly. crop rotation is a must. thanks
So much useful information!
The type of soil determines the quality of your fruits and vegetables.
That's why nutrients and minerals are so important.
Great video as always.
Thanks for sharing.
Have a blessed day!
🙏❤
Your soil looks healthy. No wonder your plants do so good. Thanks Scott!👩🌾
Really important topic presented really well. There's an economical way to get your soil tested, and that's your state's land-grant university extension office. Virginia Tech does these for $10. For Texas, source appears to be Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service. Google your state and garden soil test. Save yourself lots of heartache, "don't guess, test".
Thanks for your explanation Scott. You have summarized a very complicated subject in a way that most of us can understand.
Such great information! I’m going to do the sediment test with my kids tomorrow. Very interesting.
i love you gentle man
I want us to get a soil test this year. Our garden did good last year but we need it tested. Thank you Scott. God bless y’all.
Great video- definitely going to do the sediment trick and a soil test- once our snow in NY is gone!
This time last week . . . Wow, what a contrast! Thanks for the video. My brother asked tonight about my (way past due) raised bed supplies -- he's going to help me do it. So glad to have a resource who lives in my zone.
Thank you!
Scott that was visually amazing. I’m always wondering amended all beds and went from 2 to 4 beds and this will be the first spring planting. Hoping for the best. 🍅🥒🫑 this year.💖💖💖
So satisfying to hear you correct calling dirt - soil! As a Brit, I always cringed when I hear it called dirt. Glad I found your channel and of course subscribed 👍
I'm so happy you got a new laptop
Love soil info! I am reading Matt Powers book, Regenerative Soil and it is mind-blowing!
I enjoyed that, I’m right on the same page with you there! My clay based beds get about half an inch or inch of compost every year which gets incorporated before I plant or sow. Over the last couple of decades my soil has become rather nice.
Klaus
Excellent Video! Thank You!!
Scott you're a great teacher. I learned a bunch from you. Thanks. Jim
I appreciate that!
Happy soil makes happy plants
Very happy to have found your channel. I am in Houston and starting my first raised bed this year. Really enjoying seeing what can be grown in a regular backyard in my area! Thanks for the videos
Welcome aboard!
Awesome info. Thanks!
Great video Scott, some really good information, I love learning about soil 😁
Glad to know why you call your channel Black Gumbo.
The soils professor in my geology department used to say “dirt is the stuff under your fridge”
Awesome video
I have a heavy clay soil too. I also started off with mostly raised beds as a result.
This was very informative. Appreciate it
Thanks for the great info! (and the corgi cameo too!)
Great video Scott. I have been researching soil and permaculture have learned so much. I also love your garden and family as I am close to you and growing conditions are the same. However, your glass jar soil test should be bottom - sand, middle - silt, then organic matter and clay on top. If anyone really wants to learn about how to grow your soil, visit I Am Organic Gardening - he has an entire playlist of soil - Soil Pt1 How to start and grow nutrient dense fruits and vegetables.
What an education that was!
He actually reminds me of you in the way he talks - no nonsense just some really good information.
I will be planting again soon - most of my little garden survived the frost except the tomatoes and peppers (I know I should not have planted them in the ground so early but was hoping). My strawberries all survived, and my herb garden looks like it might recover at least half of them. What a week that was!
Looking forward to more of your videos.
H
graet video. Verry usefull for me . Thank you so much !
Another good one. Please list the name of books you referenced on a couple videos for the beginner gardeners. Thank you Mr. Hand.
Lovw the potato masher garden tool; half my kitchen implements are in the garden. An important thing the soil test will tell you is pH of the soil. If it is way out of range some plants will just refuse to grow.
This was a wonderful video. I wish we could exchange some of your clay for my sand. Lol
I have raised gardens too due to all the lovely Florida sand we have in our soil. It's so bad where I live some areas in my yard are just sand patches. 😞
I had to sub when I heard you say ions and cations in the previous video! Soil, not dirt. Clear as mud? LOL I have a lot to do this spring. Did not have the abundance last season that we are used to. Time to get busy on that soil! I feel at home here! :)
I’ve been gardening a long time and I still learned a couple of new things and appreciate the way you presented the information. Nice sunshine you’re having there 🦋
The lemon tree is beat up wow
Have you ever tried "Deep Bed Gardening" I can't remember the authors that have written about it anymore. It was famous in France for awhile before coming here or back here or something I don't remember anymore. The reason I mention it is because it works great in clay soils.
Never tried it, limited space for new stuff.
I still say dirt by accident like Lynne on Wisconsin Garden but my husband doesn't charge me a quarter for each offense. They have a cute video Dirt vs Soil.
170 years ago this gentleman was among the wealthiest citizens in the early 1800s and he was focused upon his luxurious garden and magnificent home (which mysteriously being vacant burned to the ground before 1920 and there is absolutely no historical evidence to document its exact date of burning and that’s a story for another text stream) and he had ornamentals from Asia and South America and Kangaroos from Australia, Parrots from South America, koi from Japan in the waterway that meandered through his garden , peacocks that roamed his garden freely adding living color to the magnificence of his garden splendor and coral decorations from Caribbean Reefs adding an elegant touch of exotic color to landscape feature and an oriental Pagoda with colored glass and small tinkling brass bells that sang in the wind and at that time whenphotography advanced to a point of capturing stills the garden was already in decline so there is nothing but the written evidence left by visitors who captured the magnificence of the landscape in their own words. The only treasure left is the rich black soil that is gardening gold.
🤠
Thanks for sharing this important information that I also liked learning from Dr. Elaine Ingham. Wonder if you could help me know how to help my sweet potatoes more in this sandy Florida soil that I've added vermicompost, a soil mix that contains small chunks of pine and peat, Azomite and bone meal. I've tried hardening off the potatoes three different ways with still no flavor. But, the plants looked very happy, plenty of production, no taste.
I'm just getting into this as I prepare for a fall garden - this is one of the (alarmingly few) things I remember my dad telling me when I was a kid helping him prepare his raised beds. I wanted to fill everything up with compost - compost is better, right? - but he insisted on including our nasty, clayey soil as well, much to my disgust.
Compost and organic-rich, well draining soil are best. Clay in a raised bed is no better than gardening directly in the clay ground soil.
@@ScottHead Not pure clay, fortunately! That would have been an absolute nightmare.
Put some tillage radish in it will suck up the mineral from the clay and when it die back it will release the mineral in the top layer of your bed winter rye and hairy vetch and mustard good too
Please I need advice I've elevated raised beds, I'm worry about minerals, every time I water them or rain they drain the extra water. I want to build another 2 do you recommend elevated? On the ground I've pine trees around and flood for 2 days in bad rain. Please advise. Great video
Great info, Scott! Sam is growing like a weed too!
My dad was blessed because he did not have all of the knowledge that appears we need to grow food today. Till the yard, plant, weed. Always great. Gardening today makes me nervous to start because I don't have the money to do all that's taught now.
I could talk about soil all day....and yeah you pretty much guessed it.... I bore people because they're just not into it
I was surprised you didn't talk about pH. Unless that is just a flower thing? I am in a very rural area. The only thing extension recommends testing for N, P, K. What did you test for?
I did the Logan Labs standard test, you can see what they test for here: loganlabs.com/testing-services.html
i threw shrimp shells in the compost , two months later they vanished
Hey Scott! What do you think about adding alfalfa pellets to enrich your soil? Thanks!
Great source of nitrogen. Good stuff.
I’ve heard
Very interesting Scott. Soil has been an area I know I need to learn more about. The problem I have is that I mainly do container gardening. They dont interact with the soil below like a raised bed would. They also need to be light and loose. I have way to many containers and totes to replace it all so I will be amending the container soil with my compost and composted manure. I am also going to use Dr Earths this year in hopes of increasing the soil life in the containers. From what I have learned (correct me if I am wrong) tree leaves bring up a lot of those deep nutrients. Would this help add minerals? My raised beds are also very close to containers, they are kiddie pools with lots and lots of 1 inch holes drilled in them. So I think I should for the most part be treating them as containers. Any suggestions on mineralization for containers?
Tree leaves are good, yes, lots of deep minerals and trace elements. Containers are their own beast, keep irrigated and fertilize with a plant-available, water soluble, well-balanced fertilizer on a regular schedule (the fertilizer instructions should guide you on scheduling, if it does not, once a month)
@@ScottHead Thanks for the response Scott. I am learning containers have their own issues. I thought so on the leaves. My compost browns are almost exclusively leaves as they are an abundant resource for me in fall. The irrigation isnt a big issue because the containers are sips except the pool beds. Fertilizer is something I am focusing on this year. I might even give the nasty smelling brew a try. I want to avoid chemical fertilizers if possible. A garden center near me has Neptune Harvest, I might give that a try if my other methods dont work.
@@j.b.6855 Neptune's Harvest is good stuff, so is Alaska Fish Emulsion. Stinky but good.
@@j.b.6855 Something to consider is liquid gold. It is organic and free.
gardening question,
i had tilled in some manure and shredd leaves in my newly tilled garden last fall, i saw more worms in the spring when planting this spring than last fall,
not alot grew, soil is kind of sandy, it dried easly, string beans were decent, i have yet to dig potatoes, got a dozen carrots
i was going to do the following this fall.
i have bagged leaves from last fall still, going to shredd them
i have aged cow manure coming
i also have acces to rich forest soil i can add from maple trees, its like last years leaf mould plus many years before it underneath, lots of forest in nb .
i was going to till this in and let it sit over winter then plant in the spring.
what do you think of that? i only have so much time to do stuff is my problem and not alot of cash.trying to do as cheap as possible as well
i have also created the following teas for next year, seen a vid on jadam method of gardening
1 - i have one garbage can full of water, some forest soil and string bean plants to ferment over the winter
2 - i have a 2nd garbage can with water,manure and forest soil
3 - i have qty 3 garbage cans with water ,forest soil and grass and wild ferns
i was going to use these teas to water the garden with next year(cut with water)
any insigths would be appreciated
thanks
lar
So my raised storage bin beds have sunk by half and I've pulled the tomatoes and zucchinis. I let them dry. Should I chop it up and add back on top, or should I incorporate the dried plant matter along with compost from my worm bin along with some native (sandy AZ soil) and mix it all up?
I'd compost it rather than chop and let it lay on top.
Have you ever tested your soil yourself? I bought a soil testing kit last year and I’m going to try it out this year. I put all new bagged soil in my raised beds last year
(250 ft.² worth!) but they have settled, so I had some bulk soil delivered that I plan on adding to them, with some azomite and other nutrients. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I’m going to buy some worms this year as well. I i’ve always gardened in Home Depot buckets until I put in my raised beds last year. My ground soil is full of sand and huge rocks, so gardening in the ground is not an option here.
Never tested soil myself though I have a kit to compare to the lab’s results.
Question?
I did a 30 cm lasagna bed to use next year. When do I have to worry about my next mulch or vermicompost layer?
You'll have to pay attention to its decay rate. You shouldn't have to amend for a year, maybe two, if its breaking down nicely.
@@ScottHead the whole I am filling is 5 meters deep at the lowest point I want it to decay very slow not fast. I won't use it for gardening atheist for 4 years
🇨🇱🇺🇸❤️🙏
When you started these beds, did you lay down plastic to kill the grass? Also ,how do you keep the grass from migrating into the bed.?
No plastic, just cardboard, then soil on top. Soil depth is sufficient to keep grass from growing back. Border blocks it, and weed-sacking keeps it flash to the outer edges and tidy.
@@ScottHead im curious because the Bermuda grass grew through mine but i didnt put down cardboard either. Im starting over. Also i had tomatoe and pepper plants that had leaves curl up looking like santa elf shoes.not folding in. Never found out what caused that even after testing.
What should be done, if anything, about mushrooms that pop up everywhere in the garden? Should I allow the fungi to grow? It got so bad last year in a rose and sunflower bed (North of Houston, Montgomery County) that I resorted to using a fungicide. They were incredibly stinky, too.
Signs of good garden soil. I leave the mushrooms there, let them grow, die and decompose.
What do your starts look like, right now? When are you going to put them in the ground?
Hardening off begins today, so maybe a week
@@ScottHead Mine are still so small!😟😟😟
I grew potatoes on a new patch of ground last year that had been part of the chicken run. I tilled it and then planted using the Ruth Stout method. The potatoes were ok but somewhat small. I tested the mostly clay soil with a home kit and the results said the ph is 7 and the NPK are all in the “sufficient” range. To grow bigger potatoes would adding compost be sufficient?
I'm certainly not a potato expert, wish I had better answers.
Potatoes like acidic soil. May need a bit of sulphur. My potatoes were kind of small too. My buddy grows great potatoes over by his pine trees. I am guessing the pine needles has made that area more acidic. So I tried adding sulphur to mine. We shall see!
Hi Scott...i filled new beds with shredded oak leaves and kitchen scraps w/coffee ground about a month ago..earthworms have climbed up..do i just add soil on top an plant or do i add anything else
If you add at least 6-8" of soil on top, you should be OK. DOn't mix it with the leaves.
i bought the miracle grow bag...do i just add it...or do you think should be different brand
That's just fine. It has fertilizer pellets in it.
Thanks for the distinction between "soil" and "dirt". It really upsets me to hear someone call "soil", "dirt"!
壤
I had someone give me horse manure, tilled it into the soon to be veggie garden. Now I'm wondering if this will be safe to use because I'm getting different answers. Please let me know if I can plant veggies in it. Thanks
Sure, go for it. The only problem might be herbicide in the manure, it is very common today.
Thank you, and I was told it's 3 years old now so apparently great compost manure.
When you mention bacteria or micro organism help to fertile soil does my tap water harm them or they will eventually adapt to the chlorine of tap water ?
They get knocked back by tap water. It’s the biggest hit. But they multiply like crazy and recover so fast it’s not an issue for me.
@@ScottHead now i dont worry anymore. Thank you for the info
What about using mineral blocks sold at cattle feed stores?
Not sure, never heard of any garden uses for that. Don't they have lots of salt in them?
@@ScottHead It depends
“Flerm” 🤔🤣.
Is there a difference between compost and fertilizer
Compost is naturally broken down organic material that acts similar to fertilizer, it feeds the soil biology so that the plants thrive on the nutrients released by it. Its awesome stuff. Fertilizer is any kind of substance that adds nutrients directly to the soil in a form the plants can use directly. In one sense you can say compost is fertilizer, but not all fertilizer is compost.
Does the clay hold in the water, not letting it drain?
Clay holds water, but once it is saturated repels water and forms a barrier to drainage.
What if you have termites in your soil? The legs of my wooden trellises were eaten up by termites in my raised beds. Are termites bad for the soil and plants in raised beds?
I don't think termites are bad for the soil, but I'd want to try to get rid of them just because they could be a threat to your home. You might want to do some deeper research.
@@ScottHead Good idea. We've only lived on this property a little over one year and still discovering all kinds of new things. Moving forward will start using more metal trellises. 🙂
Fyi thats a meat chopper for hamburger not a potatoe masher...