i used too much topsoil and cant grow anything

i mixed a lot of topsoil into my native soil last spring not knowing what i was doing and got very meager results. what should i do with that area since it is not prime for growing anything? add more native dirt, extend the garden and spread it around or what? any advice.

I don't think you can have too much topsoil. We need more details! Where did the topsoil come from? how deep is it? what crops did you grow? From seed or transplant? and #1 Did you have the soil tested?

skooltcher - did you add fertilizer and compost? Is this the first garden you've tried?

i used scotts topsoil from lowes and mixed 3- .75 cubic feet bags in an area about 17x4 with about eight inches of native soil. i grew okra, peppers, raddish, tomatoe, cucumber, turnips all from seeds. i did not test the soil. i did not add any fertilizer. after months, all the plants were very tiny and hardly produced anything. this is the first garden i tried and i'm trying to do better this spring.

The word "topsoil" as used in products that are for sale has no meaning. There are no industry standards, I have been told. Literally, it is soil scraped off the top, so the question is-the top of what? Never buy "topsoil" for gardening. Buy, instead, compost or composted chicken manure or steer manure. Sometimes those aren't the greatest either but there will be something of value. Purveyors of topsoil rely on our assumptions about what it is.

"i did not add any fertilizer."

Schooltcher, you'll need to feed those plants something, either in the form of fertilizer or other plant food. Your problem may not be your 'topsoil'. And ditto what Patti says, "topsoil" is more-often-than-not just a filler of some kind, ranging from sand to landscrapings from who knows what kind of land.

I wonder what your native soil is like. Is it hard clay? Sandy? Loamy? Sod? That would be a good place to start. As for testing the soil, now is a great time to send in a soil test so you can add amendments as needed before your spring planting time..

"i grew okra, peppers, raddish, tomatoe, cucumber, turnips all from seeds"

Okra, peppers, and long-season cucumbers are fairly heavy feeders. Tomatoes, radish, and turnips can go a bit lighter on the feedbag when you get your soil better balanced. (By the way, you may want to try setting out tomato and peppers seedlings next season instead of sowing seed directly in the ground. Local garden centers will have those plants available at your proper planting time.)

Keep in touch! We're gonna get you a nice garden going!

Shoe

This message was edited Dec 14, 2010 2:02 PM

It is a good time to compost all the leaves and think of lasagna gardening for spring. There are a lot oddiscussions and instructions on how to do lasagna gardenign and it is a good time to read therm so you be ready for spring garden8ing.. Bellie

Lancaster is in the high desert, I lived near there in CA.
My main suggestion, if this is your first garden, is to buy started plants, as Shoe suggested. Direct seeding can be difficult for some plants and it can be cold and windy in your area then really hot.
To keep it simple fertilize with an all purpose fert. as per package instructions. When I lived in So. Cal thats all I did. As you learn more you can try different methods but IIMHO its a good place to start.
Lisa

skooltcher - As others have said, topsoil can be just about anything. When it dries out, does it go as hard as a rock? If so, that's bad. If it stays nice and fluffy, that's good.

I only use organic fertilizers, but I appreciate that others prefer the regular type. Which ever you choose, follow the directions on the label and you should be rewarded for your efforts.

i tested the soil and it was around 7 ph, thats reasonable right? i guess the problem was lack of fertilizer, will definitely get on that. thanks for all the input.

skoolteacher, you may have planted a bit too close together also. That was a big list for the space. Your seed packets shoud give you a good idea of the right amount of space to give your plants.

Do you have full sun? Most vegetables need at least 6 hours.

Find the book Square Foot Gardening. Even if you don't use the square foot method, there is a lot of very useful information in it.

"i tested the soil and it was around 7 ph, thats reasonable right?"

Yes, that pH is fine. But having your soil "tested" meant to have it checked for mineral/nutrient content as well as for pH. For your first garden that info is invaluable and will let you know what needs to be added or, just as importantly, not added.

Good thought on the spacing and quantity of plants, Funtomatoes.

Shoe (cold as cubes in NC this morning, 16º)

funtomatoes-you beat me to it BUT I was going to ask how much light the area was getting?

well i just stuck one of those ph testers into the ground. i didn't get any soil analysis or anything. i'll do some looking around about that; the area gets plenty of sun.

Those probe-type pH testers sometimes work, sometimes not, sometimes work for a while then stop working. The probes on some of them need to be cleaned and neutralized to get them to balance again. You may be better off trying a litmus type test. Or better yet, send a soil sample in to your local Ag Office, some states offer soil testing free and will give you the materials needed (boxes, instructions, etc).

If you want to try your probe pH tester again, just to make sure the needle is working (they tend to rest in the 7 spot), make an indentation/small hole in your soil, add water to soak it, then when the water is dispersed stick in your pH tester. With the soil wet you'll get a much more accurate reading.

Shoe (who woke up so snow/ice on the ground this morning)

and, did you find some 'a the recipe to keep warm and toasty?

Ta-dahh ♫♫

Of course! :>)

Shoe,
You'd be interested to know that just last week, I double-checked the dates on the jugs of homemade peach brandy I put up shortly after I moved to Houston. Used a recipe my mom told me my grandfather and his brothers used to do. It sounded simple enough. Get a big 5 gallon glass pickle jar and layer fresh peaches and sugar packed in real tight, til no more fit. Then, sit it in the closet til it ferments. No starter plugging necessary. If necessary, add a pint of the cheapest bourbon you can find. Reseal jug and wait awhile, til the peaches break down and the liquor appears.

I've been waiting 17 years....

You think it's about time to crack open that jar?

I do so love the Baldwin ladies! ^^_^^

gymgirl, I'm a teetotaler, but I LOVED your comment about the Baldwin ladies! Thanks for the laugh!

Gymgirl - I'm surprised your jar hasn't exploded. Doesn't fermentation cause some kind of gas expansion? Personally, I know nothing of such things.

Honey,
Let's get scientific. The fact that my jar hasn't exploded means only one thing:

There's a leak in my "O" ring...

I know even less than nothing about these things!

All I do know is that the first time my grandfather brought a jug to our annual Christmas Eve party, I was 16 or 17. I liked the taste of the sweet peach liquor, and sat sipping on the sofa. Everyone warned that even though it was sweet, it packed a punch.

And, at 16 or 17, I knew this was just a wimpy, syrup-y sweet sipping juice the old folks liked to think was potent.








Until....I.....tried.....to......stand......up........to go home................

'Nuf said?

Gymgirl -

I do recall that, when I was putting up my peach brandy, my BFF's mom decided to try some too. Only, she was in a hurry, didn't want to wait for "natural" fermentation, and used a recipe that called for a yeast "starter?"

She was on her phone when the bottles lined up on her kitchen counter started exploding!

Everyone ducked as corks went popping and flying all over the living room, and the sticky brew went spewing out everywhere.

Now I know why my grandfather only used cheap whiskey as a starter....^^_^^

This message was edited Dec 17, 2010 1:09 PM

Heeheheh, from Topsoil to "topping off"...what a thread!

Linda, I say give that 17 yr old bottle a sample, it's probably the best there is by now. Then again, you could have the best vinegar you'd ever want, for pickled beets and such, ya know.

There was a time I had jars of things fermenting, each with a balloon on the tops. Those balloons would expand and contract, letting you know how things were doing. What a pretty sight.

Now about that "leak in my O ring"...*grin, sounds similar to "not the sharpest tool in the shed", "his lights are on but no one is home", "couldn't hit the floor if he fell on it", and now "he's got a leak in his O ring". Ha, I believe I've met all those descriptions.

Shoe

Uh, you don't know how much I wanna ask you to explain the "balloon on the tops," but I don't wanna hijack the thread anymore.

Thanks for ya'lls imbib.....uh indulgence...........hic*....

This message was edited Dec 21, 2010 11:45 AM

Hah! Too funny!

Skooltcher, sorry to have gotten off track/off topic. But I suppose since you may be a school teacher you know how easy that is to do.

Stay warm, All. Enjoy the winter but look forward to spring!

Shoe

This is completely off topic, but my daughter loves to do the thing with the balloon on the bottle. We put vinegar in an empty water bottle, maybe 1/4 cup. Then we put some baking soda inside a balloon and fasten the open end of the balloon to the opening of the bottle. When the baking soda falls into the bottle and combines with the vinegar, you get a gas that inflates the balloon. Fun to watch!

Schteach - i had the same problem a few years back. I "assummed" that topsoil was "dirt". It isn't. Looked like ground up bark and misc other "dark matter". I filled a 6 by 12 foot above the ground garden with it-some was purchased in the bags and some from a local place. The local nursery's was the worst - anything black was put in it - tires, printer cartiridges etc. (all broken into small pieces).

I finally dug about 1/3 of it out and replaced it with my own yarddirt and a lot of store-bought manure. Let it sit over the winter. The last 3 years have been great.

skooltcher, Do you have any Master Gardeners in your area? It seems we all think your soil (as you suspected) may have a lot to do with your lack of success, but without actually seeing it we are just guessing. call your local county extention office to find a MG and ask for help. (here in Ga they will come to your house for free, and a soil test is $8)

Did you see any good looking gardens in your area this past year? Stop by when you see someone working in their garden, introduce yourself, and offer to pull a few weeds in exchange for advice. Most of us gardeners Love to help out new gardeners. It is our mission to get more people to garden. If someone asks me to help them start a veggie garden, I'll go to their house to help them pick out a spot for their garden, give them seeds and plants. (but I don't let them pull weeds- I'm afraid they'll pull the wrong plant)
Anyone else do the same? I'll bet there's a lot of you out there!

i dont mind going off topic, i have a lot of information here to digest and put to use. thanx everyone.

^^_^^