How to Amend the Soil in Fall for a Better Garden in Spring - Ep. 222

[00:00:00] Adding the right soil amendments in the fall is a great way to set up your garden for success in the spring. By incorporating the amendments now, you give them time to break down and integrate into the soil, which is providing nutrients but also improving the soil texture for the next growing season. Choosing the right amendments are important though. We have to make sure that they are slow release versus fast release and that they aren't going to leach out before our plants get the chance to use them in the spring.

[00:00:29] Today on Just Grow Something, we're going to break down the best amendments for addressing specific nutrient deficiencies as well as general purpose options that we can add to our soil now to benefit our garden in the spring. Let's dig in.

[00:00:43] Hey, I'm Karen. I started gardening in a small corner of my suburban backyard and now 18 years later I've got a degree in horticulture and operate a 40 acre market farm.

[00:00:52] I believe there is power in food and that everyone should know how to grow at least a little bit of their own. On this podcast, I share evidence-based techniques to help you plant, grow, harvest, and store all your family's favorites. Consider me your friend in the garden.

[00:01:06] So, grab your garden journal and a cup of coffee and get ready to just grow something.

[00:01:20] Okay, last chance for the October question of the month. What was your biggest failure in the garden this season? You share yours. I'll share mine.

[00:01:30] So, drop it in the comments on YouTube or in Spotify. Send me a DM. Post it in the Facebook group. Send me an email. However you can get the information to me so that we can share it with everybody.

[00:01:41] So, October 31st is your deadline and then I will air that in the first episode of November.

[00:01:48] Now, as you listen or watch this episode, I am currently in Puerto Rico.

[00:01:54] Yes, we finally, for the first time in, I want to say, 17 or 18 years, are actually taking a full-blown vacation.

[00:02:04] Not, we need to go visit family. Although, my husband's family is there in Puerto Rico.

[00:02:09] But it's not specifically to go to a family event or to go to a wedding or to, you know, visit the kids or whatever it is.

[00:02:18] It was just intended to be a full-blown vacation.

[00:02:22] Now, it's supposed to rain the entire time, but that's okay. It's 85 or 90 degrees in rain. I'm okay with that.

[00:02:28] But I'm interested to see how tropical gardening goes firsthand.

[00:02:34] I've only been to that region of the world one time before.

[00:02:37] That was for my brother's wedding in St. John, and so I didn't really get too much of a chance to kind of explore.

[00:02:42] We were very busy with, you know, wedding activities.

[00:02:45] So, I really do want to kind of take a, you know, a look around and see how does tropical gardening go

[00:02:50] and see if I can talk to some people who are gardening there on the island.

[00:02:53] I will likely be posting to social media, maybe adding some videos to the YouTube channel when I sort of see what I can see.

[00:03:03] But this leads me to ask you if you have specific questions about your gardening zone that maybe I don't normally address.

[00:03:13] Again, I'm gardening in zone 6B.

[00:03:14] And so, a lot of the time I am speaking in sort of general terms for the majority of gardeners that might be between zones 5 and 8.

[00:03:24] But for those of you who lie outside of those zones, oftentimes I haven't experienced what you're experiencing,

[00:03:31] whether it's at the super end of being cold or if it's the super end of being warm.

[00:03:35] And I'm considering maybe doing some new series, maybe specifically to YouTube and Instagram.

[00:03:43] But obviously I would share that information here as well, specific to those different zones.

[00:03:49] So, if you have specific questions or concerns, whether it's crop specific or just sort of gardening in general,

[00:03:58] about your particular gardening zone, send me those questions.

[00:04:01] And we'll see what kind of interest there is and maybe we'll go ahead and just make that a whole new series.

[00:04:06] So, in the meantime, I am going to enjoy my time in Puerto Rico and see what I can see when it comes to some tropical gardening.

[00:04:20] So, let's dig into what deficiencies you may see in the fall in your garden that can be adjusted now

[00:04:28] so that your spring garden can get off to its best start.

[00:04:31] And then we'll also talk about just some general amendments that are good to add based on what you're sort of experiencing and seeing in your garden.

[00:04:39] Of course, the only way to know if we have a deficiency is if we do a soil test, right?

[00:04:45] So, it doesn't matter whether you are picking one up from the shelf in your garden center

[00:04:50] or whether or not you're paying your university extension service to do this test for you

[00:04:55] or whether you're hiring your local garden consultant to do this for you.

[00:05:00] It's something that I offer with some of my packages.

[00:05:03] You need to know what you're working with before you start adding amendments.

[00:05:08] Now, with nitrogen, it's a little bit different because your temperatures and your soil moisture content are going to affect your nitrogen readings.

[00:05:16] This is why oftentimes university extension services, when they send you their information,

[00:05:21] aren't going to tell you what they tested for in terms of your nitrogen because they're not testing for it because it fluctuates very dramatically.

[00:05:29] The off-the-shelf ones and ones that you can get through like your local garden consultant,

[00:05:34] they oftentimes will go ahead and provide you nitrogen readings,

[00:05:38] but just understand that that reading is very specific to the time that that reading was taken.

[00:05:45] Just kind of know that if you have not amended for anything

[00:05:50] and you have been gardening in that spot or anybody has gardened in that spot,

[00:05:54] you likely have a nitrogen deficiency.

[00:05:57] Okay.

[00:05:58] So we generally are always going to be,

[00:06:00] but taking a soil test is always the best way to know whether you're severely deficient in something

[00:06:06] and specifically things other than nitrogen like your phosphorus and your potassium.

[00:06:11] You can also test your pH at the same time.

[00:06:12] So let's start with the easiest way to amend for most of the macronutrients,

[00:06:20] which is our nitrogen or phosphorus and our potassium,

[00:06:22] and the micronutrients, which are also very important,

[00:06:26] and to just give the soil a really big boost of organic matter,

[00:06:31] and that is with compost.

[00:06:33] So late fall and early winter is the absolute best time to do this.

[00:06:40] There's a number of reasons for this.

[00:06:44] Nitrogen tends to get tied up while organic matter in compost is being broken down,

[00:06:52] especially with commercial compost.

[00:06:55] Not all of us can create enough compost in our backyards

[00:06:58] to be sufficient for amending our entire garden area,

[00:07:02] so a lot of us are having to purchase compost.

[00:07:04] But most commercial compost is not super bioactive when you get it.

[00:07:10] You have to remember that these are huge facilities that,

[00:07:14] in most instances, are trying to get this compost finished off

[00:07:18] and available to the public in as quick a manner as possible,

[00:07:22] which means it is being heated.

[00:07:24] And it's generally getting above 160 degrees Fahrenheit,

[00:07:27] which means that it's killing off or negating a lot of those microbes that are in there

[00:07:33] that kind of make it alive.

[00:07:35] And so when you get it, it needs time to really become alive again.

[00:07:42] So once the compost hits your soil,

[00:07:45] the existing microbes that are in your garden already are going to go to work.

[00:07:50] They're going to infiltrate that compost.

[00:07:52] They're going to start feeding on that organic matter,

[00:07:53] and they're going to start working it into your existing soil.

[00:07:57] Those microbes need nitrogen in order to break down all of those other carbon components.

[00:08:04] So that nitrogen is not going to be available in the soil to any plants

[00:08:10] until that process, that breakdown, is complete.

[00:08:15] So that is why fall and winter,

[00:08:18] for those of us who are not growing in those areas during the fall and winter,

[00:08:23] those areas in our garden,

[00:08:25] is a really crucial time for adding compost to the garden.

[00:08:29] It needs that time to break down,

[00:08:31] and for those microbes to do that work to make all of those nutrients available to our plants, right?

[00:08:36] So regardless of whether you have a nutrient deficiency,

[00:08:41] compost is a really good idea to revitalize the soil structure

[00:08:44] and to give your soil microbes something new to feed on.

[00:08:47] And it also helps you maintain that good soil texture

[00:08:50] that makes your plants happy and makes their roots happy.

[00:08:53] But you need to be adding it in the off season.

[00:08:56] Now, if you are somebody that does get to garden year-round,

[00:09:00] then you can be adding compost on the top of your soil

[00:09:07] at the same time that you are growing things

[00:09:09] because it's only that area where the compost is going to be in contact with that soil

[00:09:15] where you're going to have that sort of nitrogen unavailability.

[00:09:18] But understand that if you have any kind of deficiency

[00:09:21] or you are growing things that are relying on a lot of nitrogen,

[00:09:25] you might need to be adding some additional nitrogen at the same time.

[00:09:30] So the compost, when you add it, if you are actively gardening,

[00:09:35] may not be enough to supply nitrogen to your plants.

[00:09:39] You may have to actually amend a little bit for nitrogen, okay?

[00:09:42] So if your soil tests are showing a deficiency

[00:09:47] in any of those big three nutrients that are tested for,

[00:09:50] the nitrogen, the phosphorus, or the potassium,

[00:09:52] we want to choose amendments that are not only going to

[00:09:57] add those specific nutrients back into the soil,

[00:09:59] but we want to do it in a way that supports the soil microbiome at the same time.

[00:10:07] Why?

[00:10:08] Well, if we use synthetic fertilizers,

[00:10:13] they're fine when, you know, we use them in a pinch.

[00:10:16] If you have a plant that is suffering because it's like a really,

[00:10:19] you know, bad season or it's very, very deficient

[00:10:22] and we need to deliver those targeted nutrients right away,

[00:10:25] the plant to be taken up immediately, that's one thing.

[00:10:28] But those synthetic fertilizers are not going to do anything

[00:10:32] to help the health of our soil.

[00:10:35] And we know that ultimately a healthy soil

[00:10:38] is far better for our plants in a much more sustainable way

[00:10:42] than just feeding the nitrogen, the phosphorus,

[00:10:45] and the potassium directly to the plant.

[00:10:48] We want to feed the soil so the soil can feed the plant.

[00:10:52] The soil microbes that we just talked about

[00:10:55] need more to feed on than just, you know,

[00:10:59] the nitrogen, the phosphorus, and the potassium.

[00:11:01] And the plants need more to feed on than those big three

[00:11:04] in order to be able to perform at their optimum level.

[00:11:07] They need micronutrients.

[00:11:09] They need minerals, right?

[00:11:11] And let's be honest, our bodies need those macronutrients

[00:11:16] and also need the micronutrients and the minerals

[00:11:19] to function our best.

[00:11:22] And the more that it's in the soil,

[00:11:24] well, the more the plants can take it up

[00:11:26] and the more of it is going to be available to us

[00:11:28] when we eat the plant and we eat the fruits from those plants.

[00:11:31] So I am going to focus on amendments that are derived

[00:11:35] from living matter or minerals

[00:11:38] because not only do most of them have

[00:11:41] slow release macronutrients,

[00:11:44] which is what we are looking for when we amend in the fall,

[00:11:46] but they also all contain micronutrients and trace minerals

[00:11:49] to support a very holistic approach

[00:11:51] to amending the soil, okay?

[00:11:53] I am not knocking you if you use synthetic fertilizers.

[00:11:57] That is entirely up to you.

[00:11:59] But just understand, when you use these synthetic fertilizers,

[00:12:03] they are targeting very specific nutrients

[00:12:05] and they are only targeting the plant growth.

[00:12:08] They are not targeting the soil, okay?

[00:12:11] So that's where the difference lies.

[00:12:12] And we are talking about feeding the soil.

[00:12:15] So first let's talk about nitrogen.

[00:12:18] It is the first fuel that plants need for their growth.

[00:12:22] It is used in everything from chlorophyll production

[00:12:25] to synthesizing amino acids.

[00:12:28] It helps the plants grow big and strong

[00:12:30] and you get that nice lush green growth.

[00:12:33] The stronger this initial growth is,

[00:12:36] the better able the plant will be to take that next step,

[00:12:41] which is producing the flowers and the fruits

[00:12:43] and the roots and the shoots, right?

[00:12:45] All of the things that we are counting on.

[00:12:47] Unless of course, you know, it's a leafy green

[00:12:49] and then we really want the nitrogen, right?

[00:12:51] So if your plants ever show signs of really stunted growth,

[00:12:55] it oftentimes is a lack of nitrogen.

[00:12:58] And this is the most common deficiency

[00:13:01] that we see in the garden is nitrogen

[00:13:04] because all the plants always need nitrogen,

[00:13:07] even if it's just to start with.

[00:13:08] But nitrogen is also highly soluble,

[00:13:11] which means it can leach from our soil.

[00:13:14] And this is especially possible over the wintertime

[00:13:17] when a lot of us see the most of our moisture.

[00:13:19] So we really want something that is slow release

[00:13:23] to replenish those nitrogen levels in the fall

[00:13:26] so it is still in the soil

[00:13:27] and available for our plants come spring.

[00:13:31] And one of the first ways to do this

[00:13:33] is with composted manure.

[00:13:35] So it is a very slow release nitrogen source.

[00:13:39] It is also going to improve the soil structure, okay?

[00:13:42] The fall is also the time

[00:13:44] that if you have any uncomposted manure

[00:13:47] that you want to go ahead and add it as well.

[00:13:51] If you have livestock

[00:13:53] and you have manure from that livestock

[00:13:55] that hasn't sat and aged yet,

[00:13:57] you can put it in the soil in the fall.

[00:13:59] Or if you have someone gifting you

[00:14:01] manure from their homestead

[00:14:03] and you have no idea how long it's been sitting,

[00:14:06] putting it in the soil in the fall

[00:14:08] gives time for any of those hot manures

[00:14:11] like horse or chicken manure

[00:14:12] to break down a little bit.

[00:14:14] And that means they're going to be less likely

[00:14:15] to burn the roots of your sensitive plants.

[00:14:18] So they get a chance to sit and mellow out

[00:14:21] throughout the winter time,

[00:14:23] particularly, you know, chicken manure.

[00:14:26] It is very high in nitrogen.

[00:14:27] It absolutely needs to be composted.

[00:14:28] Otherwise, you're going to burn your plants.

[00:14:30] So adding it in the fall is your best bet.

[00:14:33] The second thing here would be cover crops.

[00:14:36] This takes a little bit more forethought,

[00:14:38] but a lot of our cover crops

[00:14:41] like clover, vetch, and peas

[00:14:43] are nitrogen fixing,

[00:14:46] which means that they capture atmospheric nitrogen

[00:14:48] and they store it in their roots.

[00:14:50] And so that is released back into the soil

[00:14:54] when you either till those cover crops in

[00:14:57] before planting in the spring,

[00:14:58] or you can just leave the roots intact

[00:15:00] and cut the tops off of those cover crops

[00:15:04] and use those tops as mulch in the spring.

[00:15:06] And then you can just directly plant into the roots

[00:15:08] as they break down.

[00:15:09] The main thing here is you want the roots

[00:15:12] to stay in the soil.

[00:15:14] So your clover, your vetch, and your peas

[00:15:16] leave the roots down in there.

[00:15:18] And that is what is going to break down

[00:15:19] and release that nitrogen that has captured

[00:15:21] from the atmosphere and pulled into your soil.

[00:15:25] This is fantastic.

[00:15:25] But it does take some pre-planning.

[00:15:28] So this might be something that you want to look at

[00:15:30] when you're doing your garden plan

[00:15:32] and you make your plan

[00:15:34] for what's going to happen in the fall,

[00:15:36] once you are pulling all of your other crops out,

[00:15:38] what can you put down in its place

[00:15:40] that is going to help to amend your soil?

[00:15:44] And then finally, we have alfalfa meal,

[00:15:47] cottonseed meal, and feather meal.

[00:15:49] All three of these are slow-releasing

[00:15:52] organic nitrogen sources

[00:15:54] that will break down over the winter.

[00:15:58] The one that I tend to use a lot is feather meal.

[00:16:00] I have a lot of easy access to it.

[00:16:02] It's a great nitrogen source.

[00:16:03] I use it for my onions.

[00:16:04] I use it for my garlic.

[00:16:05] I use it for, you know, amending the beds in the fall.

[00:16:09] Again, nice and slow release,

[00:16:11] but alfalfa meal and cottonseed meal

[00:16:13] do the exact same job.

[00:16:15] And like I mentioned, we're in Puerto Rico right now.

[00:16:17] And so I am interested to see

[00:16:20] what types of amendments are available

[00:16:23] in different areas.

[00:16:25] Because bat guano is something

[00:16:28] that is a fantastic nitrogen source

[00:16:30] as a composted manure.

[00:16:32] So again, something which you would want

[00:16:34] to break down first before adding to the soil

[00:16:36] or an uncomposted version

[00:16:38] would be only added in the fall.

[00:16:40] But it's not something that would generally

[00:16:42] be available in my area

[00:16:44] unless I had it shipped in.

[00:16:46] The same with cottonseed meal.

[00:16:48] It seems like that is more readily available

[00:16:51] in the southern U.S.

[00:16:52] Whereas where I'm gardening,

[00:16:55] alfalfa meal and feather meal

[00:16:56] are much more readily available.

[00:16:58] So do some research on some of the things

[00:17:00] on your own to see if there are

[00:17:02] maybe less expensive options

[00:17:04] that are available regionally.

[00:17:06] So just look for, you know,

[00:17:08] slow release nitrogen amendment for garden

[00:17:11] and then put in your area or whatever

[00:17:13] for adding it in the fall.

[00:17:16] Now, as we were getting ready to take this trip,

[00:17:19] I was scrambling around

[00:17:20] trying to get everything ready to leave.

[00:17:22] We had just had our first frost.

[00:17:24] So of course the tomatoes and the peppers

[00:17:26] and all the zucchini and the other summer stuff

[00:17:28] were taken out, which was fine by me.

[00:17:30] Honestly, it was time for them to be done.

[00:17:33] And I had a list of so many things

[00:17:35] needing to be finished before we left

[00:17:37] that the last thing that I wanted to be doing

[00:17:39] was harvesting anything, right?

[00:17:41] I needed to record podcast episodes.

[00:17:43] I had to clean my house.

[00:17:44] I had to pack our stuff.

[00:17:45] I had to get the farm ready to leave

[00:17:47] and get my mom acquainted,

[00:17:49] which bless her heart,

[00:17:50] she drove in to help take care of the things

[00:17:52] for us on the farm while we're gone.

[00:17:56] I attended the Women in Podcasting Awards.

[00:18:00] And then I had my final farmer's market of the season.

[00:18:03] And I still somehow managed to get all the peppers

[00:18:05] and the zucchini chopped

[00:18:07] and into the freezer before we left.

[00:18:09] So I am very glad that I had

[00:18:12] my most recent Magic Mind shipment

[00:18:14] already here, chilled in the fridge,

[00:18:17] ready to go every morning alongside my coffee

[00:18:20] because I needed all the mental focus

[00:18:22] and calm energy I could get.

[00:18:24] In previous years,

[00:18:26] if I was getting ready to leave town,

[00:18:30] it felt absolutely frantic.

[00:18:33] It's a big job getting a farm

[00:18:36] ready for us to leave.

[00:18:37] And I usually feel like

[00:18:39] I'm bouncing from one task to another

[00:18:41] frenetically, even if I have a list.

[00:18:44] Now that I'm using Magic Mind,

[00:18:46] that was not the case this trip.

[00:18:47] I had plenty of focus to finish one task

[00:18:51] before moving on to the other one,

[00:18:53] even when being interrupted

[00:18:55] by the other people in my household

[00:18:56] who totally mean well,

[00:18:58] but they may not understand

[00:18:59] what it takes to get these things done.

[00:19:01] But with my mental performance shop

[00:19:04] working its magic,

[00:19:05] I was able to focus beautifully

[00:19:08] and have the energy to zoom through the tasks,

[00:19:11] getting everything accomplished on my list

[00:19:12] to make leaving for our trip smooth sailing,

[00:19:15] and now be able to actually relax on our trip.

[00:19:18] If you want to experience the same calm focus

[00:19:21] that I have with Magic Mind

[00:19:22] and save 20% off the already discounted subscription price,

[00:19:27] go to magicmind.com

[00:19:28] slash grow something 20

[00:19:31] and use code grow something 20.

[00:19:33] The subscription is absolutely key

[00:19:35] because now that I have this perfect sort of flow state,

[00:19:38] I do not want to interrupt it by running out.

[00:19:41] The delivery is free with each subscription.

[00:19:43] It shows up without me having to think about it

[00:19:47] done and dusted.

[00:19:48] Magicmind.com slash grow something 20

[00:19:51] and use code grow something 20 at checkout.

[00:19:54] The link will be in the show notes.

[00:19:57] So the next big plant nutrient is phosphorus.

[00:20:03] Okay, so plants use phosphorus

[00:20:05] to promote their root growth

[00:20:06] and to flower and set seed.

[00:20:09] So in terms of phosphorus,

[00:20:11] we still want to add that organic matter

[00:20:14] through compost, right?

[00:20:16] But unless you can get an analysis

[00:20:17] from your compost source

[00:20:19] of how much phosphorus is available

[00:20:21] in that particular batch,

[00:20:23] you can't rely just on compost

[00:20:26] to add the phosphorus.

[00:20:28] Chicken and horse manure though,

[00:20:30] if you are adding those amendments for nitrogen,

[00:20:33] those are also going to help for phosphorus

[00:20:35] because they actually are generally

[00:20:37] very good sources of phosphorus.

[00:20:38] So if you're doing the one,

[00:20:40] know that you are probably adding the other.

[00:20:42] And the good news is that phosphorus

[00:20:44] actually doesn't leach out of the soil very easily.

[00:20:47] So it makes fall a really good time

[00:20:50] to amend for phosphorus deficiencies

[00:20:53] and allowing it to just kind of go to work

[00:20:55] and doing what it needs to do.

[00:20:57] So my favorite way to amend for phosphorus

[00:21:00] is bone meal.

[00:21:02] Okay, it's a great source of not only phosphorus,

[00:21:05] but also calcium,

[00:21:06] it breaks down slowly,

[00:21:09] like very slowly.

[00:21:10] It releases its nutrients over several months.

[00:21:12] And believe it or not,

[00:21:14] I actually make my own bone meal.

[00:21:17] Now it's not the, you know,

[00:21:19] a sole source of my bone meal

[00:21:20] because I can't make that much.

[00:21:21] But if you're looking on YouTube

[00:21:24] or on Spotify,

[00:21:25] you can see I have a mason jar

[00:21:27] full of bone meal.

[00:21:30] So all I did was I saved the bones

[00:21:32] from whatever it was that we happened to be eating

[00:21:35] and also from making my dog's food.

[00:21:39] And I roasted them

[00:21:41] until they were totally dry in the oven

[00:21:44] over a very, very, very long period of time.

[00:21:47] So, and I can't remember how long it took me

[00:21:49] to do this,

[00:21:50] to make it to where it was so completely,

[00:21:53] literally bone dry

[00:21:56] before I ground it up.

[00:21:57] But that's what I did.

[00:21:58] I made it to where they were bone dry

[00:22:00] and I ground it up.

[00:22:01] And now I have my own homemade bone meal.

[00:22:04] Now, do I know what the phosphorus

[00:22:06] and the calcium content is in this?

[00:22:09] No.

[00:22:09] Could I test it?

[00:22:11] Yes.

[00:22:12] And I do have the testing kits to do that.

[00:22:14] So I might do that at some point.

[00:22:17] And I might do a whole series

[00:22:18] on homemade amendments

[00:22:19] and showing me testing them

[00:22:20] so that you guys know how to do this.

[00:22:22] But I will say that I generally don't

[00:22:25] suffer with really severe

[00:22:28] phosphorus deficiencies.

[00:22:30] So I have found that using my own

[00:22:32] homemade bone meal is enough

[00:22:33] to be able to boost the phosphorus

[00:22:35] when I need it,

[00:22:37] when I see that maybe we're getting

[00:22:38] a little bit low,

[00:22:39] but I'm never really actually depleted.

[00:22:41] If I were depleted,

[00:22:43] I would either make sure that I tested this

[00:22:45] or go and buy something

[00:22:47] that had a specific level of phosphorus in it

[00:22:50] so that I knew that I was amending appropriately.

[00:22:52] But just don't, you know,

[00:22:54] overlook the things that you can do

[00:22:56] to amend with things

[00:22:58] that you already have in the house

[00:22:59] if you're willing to take the effort.

[00:23:01] Okay.

[00:23:01] The other thing that you can use

[00:23:03] to amend for phosphorus

[00:23:04] is rock phosphate.

[00:23:06] It is also very slow release.

[00:23:08] It is more effective

[00:23:10] when the soil pH is below 7,

[00:23:13] which in most instances are garden soil.

[00:23:16] I mean, want the ideal pH

[00:23:17] to be between, you know,

[00:23:18] 5.7 and 7 anyway

[00:23:20] for vegetable growth.

[00:23:21] So this shouldn't be a problem

[00:23:23] unless you see that you have fairly alkaline soil.

[00:23:27] But rock phosphate is actually

[00:23:28] a very effective way to add

[00:23:30] a slow release phosphorus amendment

[00:23:32] that's going to work over multiple years.

[00:23:35] So you're going to add it once

[00:23:37] and you're not going to have to add it again

[00:23:38] for quite some time.

[00:23:40] The final macro nutrient

[00:23:42] that we need to talk about is potassium.

[00:23:44] So potassium helps plants

[00:23:46] regulate their metabolism.

[00:23:48] It's very important

[00:23:49] for good root development

[00:23:51] and just overall plant health.

[00:23:54] It also helps a lot

[00:23:55] with disease resistance

[00:23:56] and fruit quality.

[00:23:58] It also affects the regulation

[00:24:01] of water pressure

[00:24:03] inside and outside the plant.

[00:24:05] So this actually helps the plant

[00:24:07] effectively use the water

[00:24:09] that is available to it

[00:24:10] and makes it more drought resistant.

[00:24:12] So do not overlook potassium.

[00:24:15] Plants with potassium deficiencies

[00:24:16] are often much more prone

[00:24:18] to disease and to moisture stress.

[00:24:21] Gardens that have

[00:24:23] really poor soil structure

[00:24:26] often end up being depleted

[00:24:29] in potassium

[00:24:29] because either the water

[00:24:32] just runs right off

[00:24:33] or it goes right

[00:24:36] through the soil too quickly

[00:24:37] and then the potassium

[00:24:38] goes right along with it.

[00:24:39] And if the water

[00:24:40] just runs right off

[00:24:41] well there's no way

[00:24:42] for the potassium

[00:24:42] to move through the soil.

[00:24:44] So this is another reason

[00:24:45] why soil organic matter

[00:24:48] is very important.

[00:24:49] So of course adding compost

[00:24:51] or using those cover crops

[00:24:53] to help with the soil organic matter

[00:24:56] on a regular basis.

[00:24:58] If you find that your soil

[00:24:59] is short on potassium

[00:25:01] your three best options

[00:25:03] are going to be green sand,

[00:25:05] wood ash,

[00:25:05] or kelp meal.

[00:25:07] So green sand

[00:25:08] is a marine sediment.

[00:25:10] It is very rich in minerals

[00:25:12] so it also supplies potassium

[00:25:15] along with iron

[00:25:16] and some other of the trace elements

[00:25:17] that are very important

[00:25:18] for our soil.

[00:25:19] It also helps to improve

[00:25:20] that soil structure

[00:25:21] and it also holds moisture

[00:25:23] really well

[00:25:24] and it will also gradually

[00:25:25] improve the water holding capacity

[00:25:27] in your garden soils.

[00:25:29] The beautiful thing

[00:25:30] about green sand

[00:25:30] is you can apply it one time

[00:25:33] and it generally lasts

[00:25:35] for about three to five years.

[00:25:36] So if you chronically find

[00:25:38] your soil tests

[00:25:39] coming back deficient

[00:25:40] in potassium,

[00:25:41] then green sand

[00:25:42] is a really, really good

[00:25:43] long-term option.

[00:25:46] If we're talking about

[00:25:47] kind of homemade options,

[00:25:50] wood ash is a really good way

[00:25:52] to provide potassium.

[00:25:54] The problem is

[00:25:55] is that it also raises

[00:25:56] the soil pH.

[00:25:58] So if you have

[00:25:59] a very acidic soil,

[00:26:01] then wood ash is great

[00:26:03] because it's going to raise

[00:26:04] the soil pH

[00:26:05] at the same time

[00:26:06] that it is providing potassium.

[00:26:08] But you really want to make sure

[00:26:10] that you are testing

[00:26:11] your soil pH

[00:26:12] before you start using wood ash

[00:26:13] because it can make your soil

[00:26:15] too alkaline

[00:26:16] if it is overused.

[00:26:17] I have actually had

[00:26:19] multiple gardening clients

[00:26:21] who have had this exact problem.

[00:26:23] They have taken the wood ash

[00:26:24] from their fireplaces

[00:26:25] and added them out

[00:26:27] into the garden areas

[00:26:28] because they had heard

[00:26:29] that it was really good

[00:26:30] for the garden

[00:26:31] and it is.

[00:26:32] But too much of a good thing

[00:26:34] when you either already

[00:26:36] have an alkaline soil

[00:26:37] or your kind of borderline

[00:26:38] can actually flip your soil

[00:26:40] to the opposite end

[00:26:41] and make it too alkaline.

[00:26:43] So just make sure

[00:26:43] that you know your soil pH

[00:26:45] before you start using wood ash.

[00:26:48] Kelp meal has actually become

[00:26:50] sort of my favorite

[00:26:53] potassium amendment.

[00:26:55] It also contains some nitrogen

[00:26:57] so that's kind of a bonus.

[00:26:58] I'm always needing nitrogen

[00:26:59] in the garden.

[00:27:00] It also has over 60 micronutrients

[00:27:03] which of course

[00:27:04] this is helping to encourage

[00:27:05] the microbial population

[00:27:06] in the soil

[00:27:07] which we really want to do.

[00:27:09] There is a little bit

[00:27:10] of a caveat to this one

[00:27:12] though too.

[00:27:13] Kelp meal comes from kelp

[00:27:16] which is another type

[00:27:17] of a plant, right?

[00:27:19] So that also means

[00:27:20] that the kelp meal

[00:27:21] is going to contain

[00:27:22] a good amount

[00:27:23] of those plant hormones.

[00:27:24] So cytokinins

[00:27:26] and auxins

[00:27:26] and gibberellins

[00:27:27] and all those fancy words

[00:27:29] that I used

[00:27:29] that I learned in college, right?

[00:27:31] These are all plant hormones

[00:27:34] that are involved

[00:27:35] in all of the different processes

[00:27:36] that naturally occur

[00:27:37] in our garden.

[00:27:38] So vegetative growth,

[00:27:39] flowering,

[00:27:41] you know,

[00:27:41] adapting other responses

[00:27:42] to like overwatering

[00:27:43] and excess heat exposure,

[00:27:45] all things that we want

[00:27:46] our plants to do.

[00:27:47] But too many

[00:27:49] of these plant hormones

[00:27:51] in combination

[00:27:52] with the hormones

[00:27:52] that are already present

[00:27:54] in our growing plants

[00:27:55] can actually be too much

[00:27:57] and we can sort of get

[00:27:58] the opposite effect, right?

[00:28:00] It would be more of a toxicity

[00:28:01] in that aspect.

[00:28:02] So this is what makes kelp meal

[00:28:05] really, really good

[00:28:06] to add in the fall

[00:28:08] if you are not someone

[00:28:11] who is growing year-round.

[00:28:12] If you are not actively

[00:28:13] growing plants

[00:28:13] in those beds

[00:28:14] through the winter,

[00:28:15] kelp meal can be added.

[00:28:17] It's the perfect time.

[00:28:18] It also gets a little bit

[00:28:20] of a chance to mellow out

[00:28:22] before we do start planting

[00:28:24] in the spring.

[00:28:25] So the effects of a kelp meal

[00:28:27] can actually last in our soil

[00:28:30] for about 6 to 12 months.

[00:28:32] So there's going to be

[00:28:33] plenty of potassium

[00:28:34] available for those plants

[00:28:36] when we start to plant them

[00:28:37] in the spring.

[00:28:38] But by planting it

[00:28:40] in the fall

[00:28:40] or by amending in the fall

[00:28:42] with the kelp meal,

[00:28:43] the plant hormones

[00:28:44] will have degraded enough

[00:28:46] to not overwhelm

[00:28:47] those spring plants

[00:28:48] and cause any issues.

[00:28:50] Okay, so what can we be adding

[00:28:52] in the fall

[00:28:53] that are just sort of

[00:28:54] general purpose

[00:28:56] soil amendments

[00:28:57] that are going to help

[00:28:58] with just sort of

[00:28:59] our overall soil health

[00:29:00] or the soil texture

[00:29:02] and sort of balancing

[00:29:03] those micronutrients out.

[00:29:05] Fall is the best time

[00:29:06] to be doing this too.

[00:29:07] And we already talked

[00:29:08] about the first one

[00:29:09] and that's compost, right?

[00:29:10] Rich in organic matter.

[00:29:12] It improves the soil texture.

[00:29:13] It improves water retention.

[00:29:15] It also helps

[00:29:16] with our nutrient availability.

[00:29:17] And of course,

[00:29:18] it's encouraging

[00:29:19] that microbial activity.

[00:29:21] And that's what we want

[00:29:22] because the more

[00:29:23] microbial activity we have,

[00:29:25] the more the available nutrients

[00:29:27] in our soil

[00:29:28] are going to be made

[00:29:29] available to our plants.

[00:29:31] Right along with this

[00:29:32] with compost

[00:29:33] is that aged manure

[00:29:34] that we're talking about.

[00:29:35] So we want it well rotted.

[00:29:37] It's going to be a great source

[00:29:38] of all those big three

[00:29:39] in most instances.

[00:29:41] But just make sure

[00:29:42] that, you know,

[00:29:43] if you're adding manure

[00:29:45] that it has been aged,

[00:29:47] fully composted.

[00:29:48] We don't want weed seeds.

[00:29:49] We don't want pathogens

[00:29:50] if you don't know

[00:29:51] where the manure

[00:29:52] is coming from

[00:29:53] if it's not coming

[00:29:53] from your own animals.

[00:29:55] If it is coming

[00:29:55] from your own animals

[00:29:56] and it hasn't had a chance

[00:29:57] to mellow again

[00:29:58] in the fall

[00:29:59] is the best time to add this.

[00:30:00] It's going to help it

[00:30:01] to break down even more quickly

[00:30:02] and make all that available

[00:30:04] to the plants in the spring.

[00:30:05] And it's going to improve

[00:30:06] that soil structure.

[00:30:08] You can also add

[00:30:11] composted straw.

[00:30:12] So if you have used straw

[00:30:13] out in the garden

[00:30:14] this whole season

[00:30:15] as a mulch

[00:30:16] and it's kind of starting

[00:30:18] to break down

[00:30:19] a little bit,

[00:30:19] you can actually use straw

[00:30:22] to improve the soil texture

[00:30:24] and to add organic matter

[00:30:26] especially in sandy soils.

[00:30:29] Okay, so the straw

[00:30:30] breaks down fairly slowly.

[00:30:31] So it is going to

[00:30:33] keep that organic content

[00:30:35] in a sandy soil

[00:30:36] for longer

[00:30:37] while helping the soil

[00:30:39] retain moisture

[00:30:40] which is always a problem

[00:30:42] in sandy soils.

[00:30:43] Okay, if you're dealing

[00:30:45] with clay heavy soils,

[00:30:47] leaf mold

[00:30:47] is a really good addition.

[00:30:49] So decomposed leaves

[00:30:51] are going to add

[00:30:52] organic matter.

[00:30:52] It's going to improve

[00:30:54] that soil structure.

[00:30:55] It is great

[00:30:56] for improving

[00:30:57] soil aeration

[00:30:58] and moisture retention.

[00:31:00] And like I said,

[00:31:02] this is particularly good

[00:31:03] for clay heavy soils

[00:31:05] unlike sand.

[00:31:06] You may have heard

[00:31:08] that if you are somebody

[00:31:09] who gardens

[00:31:10] in heavy clay soils

[00:31:11] that adding

[00:31:12] sand

[00:31:13] to your soil

[00:31:14] is going to improve

[00:31:15] that structure.

[00:31:16] The problem

[00:31:17] with that thought

[00:31:18] is if you don't

[00:31:20] do it

[00:31:20] in a large enough amount

[00:31:22] all you are going

[00:31:23] to end up with

[00:31:24] is concrete.

[00:31:26] And I have seen it

[00:31:27] over and over again.

[00:31:28] So unless you have

[00:31:30] actually had somebody

[00:31:31] come and do an analysis

[00:31:33] of how much clay

[00:31:34] versus how much silt

[00:31:35] versus how much sand

[00:31:37] is in your soil,

[00:31:38] don't just add sand

[00:31:40] to your clay soil

[00:31:41] thinking it's going

[00:31:41] to help

[00:31:42] because oftentimes

[00:31:43] it's going to end up

[00:31:44] doing more harm

[00:31:45] than good.

[00:31:45] For heavy clay soils

[00:31:47] that need

[00:31:47] to improve

[00:31:48] that soil structure,

[00:31:50] the recommendation

[00:31:51] is actually gypsum.

[00:31:52] Gypsum is going

[00:31:53] to improve

[00:31:53] the structure

[00:31:54] by breaking up

[00:31:55] those kind of

[00:31:55] compacted layers.

[00:31:57] It improves

[00:31:57] the water infiltration

[00:31:59] and the root penetration.

[00:32:00] It actually also

[00:32:00] supplies some calcium

[00:32:01] and sulfur

[00:32:02] without affecting

[00:32:04] the soil pH.

[00:32:06] And then finally,

[00:32:07] lime.

[00:32:08] If you have

[00:32:09] very acidic soils

[00:32:11] and that's talking,

[00:32:13] we're talking

[00:32:13] something that's below

[00:32:14] that 5.8,

[00:32:16] 5.7 pH.

[00:32:17] So anything below

[00:32:18] that we are considering

[00:32:19] to be too acidic

[00:32:20] for growing vegetables.

[00:32:22] If you add lime

[00:32:23] in the fall,

[00:32:24] that allows it

[00:32:25] to raise the pH

[00:32:26] gradually over

[00:32:26] the wintertime.

[00:32:27] Lime also adds

[00:32:28] calcium and magnesium

[00:32:29] to the soil,

[00:32:30] so that's also going

[00:32:30] to improve

[00:32:31] the nutrient availability.

[00:32:33] And then we can

[00:32:34] refer back

[00:32:34] to the wood ash,

[00:32:36] and this is also

[00:32:38] a really good way

[00:32:38] to raise the pH

[00:32:40] while you're also

[00:32:40] adding some potassium.

[00:32:46] So as always,

[00:32:47] there are some

[00:32:48] best practices

[00:32:48] for adding our

[00:32:49] fall amendments.

[00:32:50] Again,

[00:32:50] the first thing

[00:32:51] is to test your soil.

[00:32:53] Always test your soil

[00:32:54] before adding

[00:32:55] specific amendments

[00:32:56] because over-amending

[00:32:57] can actually cause

[00:32:58] nutrient imbalances

[00:32:59] which actually might

[00:33:00] harm your plants

[00:33:01] come spring.

[00:33:02] The other is

[00:33:03] how to incorporate

[00:33:04] these amendments.

[00:33:06] I'm not a huge

[00:33:07] proponent of

[00:33:08] always tilling

[00:33:09] the soil

[00:33:09] because that

[00:33:10] disturbs the soil

[00:33:11] microbes,

[00:33:11] it disturbs the

[00:33:13] structure of the soil.

[00:33:14] A very light

[00:33:16] tilling across

[00:33:16] the top

[00:33:17] or somehow

[00:33:17] lightly working

[00:33:18] the amendments

[00:33:19] into the soil

[00:33:20] is okay

[00:33:21] to just sort of

[00:33:22] ensure even

[00:33:23] distribution.

[00:33:25] If you're doing

[00:33:26] a no-till garden,

[00:33:27] you can spread

[00:33:28] the amendments

[00:33:28] on the surface

[00:33:29] and then cover

[00:33:31] them with either

[00:33:32] a light layer

[00:33:32] of mulch

[00:33:33] or some additional

[00:33:34] compost to help

[00:33:35] work them in.

[00:33:36] And then you may

[00:33:37] also look at

[00:33:38] watering if

[00:33:39] winter is not

[00:33:40] your rainy season.

[00:33:41] If it tends to be

[00:33:42] dry where you are

[00:33:43] in the winter,

[00:33:43] you probably want

[00:33:44] to go ahead

[00:33:44] and water

[00:33:45] some of the

[00:33:45] amendments in

[00:33:46] as well.

[00:33:47] And then finally,

[00:33:48] you know,

[00:33:49] it's going to be

[00:33:50] mulch, right?

[00:33:51] After you're adding

[00:33:51] your amendments,

[00:33:52] consider mulching

[00:33:53] those garden beds.

[00:33:54] Mulch is going

[00:33:55] to protect the soil

[00:33:56] from erosion.

[00:33:57] It's going to

[00:33:57] maintain the moisture.

[00:33:59] It's going to

[00:34:00] help those

[00:34:01] amendments settle

[00:34:02] into the soil

[00:34:03] and it's also

[00:34:03] going to help

[00:34:03] prevent any

[00:34:04] nutrient leaching.

[00:34:05] So we want

[00:34:06] these amendments

[00:34:07] to stay put

[00:34:08] where they are

[00:34:09] so our garden

[00:34:10] plants get the

[00:34:10] opportunity to take

[00:34:11] advantage of them

[00:34:12] when we're

[00:34:13] planting them

[00:34:13] in the spring.

[00:34:14] So by incorporating

[00:34:15] all of these

[00:34:16] in in the fall,

[00:34:17] you give them

[00:34:18] time to break down

[00:34:19] and work into

[00:34:19] the soil structure

[00:34:20] and that means

[00:34:21] that your garden

[00:34:22] is going to be

[00:34:22] nice and nutrient

[00:34:23] rich and ready

[00:34:24] to support

[00:34:24] healthy plant

[00:34:25] growth when

[00:34:26] spring finally

[00:34:26] arrives and

[00:34:27] we get to

[00:34:28] planting.

[00:34:29] Until next time

[00:34:30] my gardening

[00:34:30] friends, keep on

[00:34:31] cultivating that

[00:34:32] dream garden and

[00:34:32] we'll talk again

[00:34:33] soon.

[00:34:34] Thanks for

[00:34:34] listening to

[00:34:35] another episode

[00:34:35] of the Just

[00:34:36] Grow Something

[00:34:36] podcast.

[00:34:37] For more

[00:34:38] information about

[00:34:38] today's topic

[00:34:39] and to find

[00:34:40] all the ways you

[00:34:40] can get in

[00:34:41] touch with me

[00:34:41] or support

[00:34:42] the show,

[00:34:43] go to

[00:34:44] justgrowsomethingpodcast.com

[00:34:45] Until next time

[00:34:46] my gardening

[00:34:47] friends, keep

[00:34:47] learning and

[00:34:48] keep growing.