The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Community => Coffee Lounge => Topic started by: Anke on October 03, 2018, 03:18:01 pm
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I am looking into soil testing for my veg garden (rather than the grazing fields, which I will do with forage analysis at some point). Has anyone done this and can a) recommend a reasonably priced company in the UK and b) how useful was the info you got and how did it fit in with an (as much as possible) organic way of growing? I am not against application of stuff like dolomite or even normal lime and if needed for a specific shortage using a chemical fertiliser as long as its not every year.
Also looking if someone can recommend a good book (or website) for a UK audience. I am reading (very slowly) my way through "The intelligent gardener - growing nutrient-dense food" by Steve Solomon, but it's aimed at the American market and all non-metrical. Even as a trained PhD Chemist I find it difficult to follow, but I am looing for explanations for some of the crop failures we had in the polytunnel as well as in the garden...
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I think that the James Hutton Institute does soil testing.
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Hi Anke. I had soil testing done on our farm a few months ago for the first time - with me it was done for land used for grazing so different to your intended approach for your grazing land. It was done by a local contact (I’m in High Peak so I don’t think that will work for you). I would say though that whilst the process isn’t cheap (depending upon how many samples you have taken) I found the process pretty useful as it confirmed my suspicions that the soil does need some help albeit I have yet to action the findings. So all in all I would recommend it.
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Royal Horticultural Society?
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Can't help with your specific request but as to failures in garden growing ... In my experience something may grow very well one year and totally fail the next .... One example here being beetroot .... Amazing in year one.... In year two I sowed 3 times and nothing grew although a few germinated ... This year good again!
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Thanks for the replies - will look into it.
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Wow, this all sounds like a league ahead of me.
I thought I was pushing the boat out by getting a £8 PH testing kit on Amazon for my veggie patch.
I may need to up my game!
(We need a hats-off smilie).
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Can't help with your specific request but as to failures in garden growing ... In my experience something may grow very well one year and totally fail the next .... One example here being beetroot .... Amazing in year one.... In year two I sowed 3 times and nothing grew although a few germinated ... This year good again!
Beetroot are like that They aren't very good ast surviving not beig properly stored either .
Foil packed pre-germinated pelletd seed seem to work much better so long as they get the moisture need to grow out of the pellet of clay .
Anke, have a look on Amazon for The vegetable garden books etc by Dr D.G. Hessayn & have a short read if there is any sample content to read .
They make good Christmas presents if there is a Santa Claus in your life .
I seem to think there is a book about the soil by him as well .
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13 years or so back when I was really into discovering what my gardens held soil wise. For my birthday present Alison paid £24( ish ) for an six or more testing chemicals in tubes in a soil testing kit which had a delightful 20 page or so handbook included, it might have come from the RHS on line shop .