Certified Organic Garden - Home-Raised Custom Meat - Hogs, Lambs, Goats.

Working with highly alkaline to sodic soil

This a personal diary of how we’re taken a nearly wasted piece of property and turned it into a productive Certified Organic produce operation.

This was our proposed garden site in 2007.

We bought our home with 9.62 acres in August 2005. It took two years to clean the property of junk that was strewn about. Only after that were we able to think about gardening.

We played around planting what we thought would grow on what would become our main garden plot. First it was about 20 by 40, growing to nearly 40 by 50 and finally under two hoop houses each measuring 20 by 52 with a 2ft path between them.

100 0168 300x224 Working with highly alkaline to sodic soil

Garden 2010

In 2011, we decided to become serious about gardening, applying for an NRCS EQIP grant in the Certified Organic division for two hoop houses. While we didn’t get it in 2012, we did win the competitive grant in 2013. Of course, there were a few strings attached. We must be and must keep our Certified Organic status through 2017. We also must attend Master Gardener School this winter, and that’s a good thing, too.

100 1221 300x224 Working with highly alkaline to sodic soil

Garden 2011

Now, about that soil that is highly alkaline and nearly sodic.

We tested our soil in 2011 (see Soil Test 2011 pg 1). The short version is that the pH was 7.7. Soluble salts were .93 with the Lime at 3.7 (high) and organic material at 1.5%. The NPK was 64-130-1791.

When we retested in 2013 (see Soil Test 2013 pg 1, the results were quite different. Again the short version is pH 7.6. Soluble salts now .58 with the Lime at 5.3 and organic material at 3.2%. the NPK is 24-110-1295.

100 1261 300x224 Working with highly alkaline to sodic soil

Garden 2012

What we did between 2011 and 2013 was to add 4cu ft peat moss per 1000 sq ft as well as about 12 cu ft of horse and sheep manure/spoiled alfalfa. In 2012, we also added 50# of humate per 1000 sq ft. After testing this year, we added humate at 50# per 1000 sq ft again, as well as elemental sulfur at about 18 lbs per 1000 sq ft.

We will test again in 2014.

Many of the changes in the soil have to do with unlocking nutrients so the plants can access them. Our soil texture is sandy loam. We do have to be careful about adding too much of our own farmyard manure, as our feed source is local, and can also be high in salts. You can see that, by comparing the two tests. Look at the Cation Exchange Capacity – CEC (pronounced cat-eye-on). Overall, it increased by 1 going from 9 to 10. That’s considered low. What happens is a lot of the nutrients leach deeply into the subsoil, becoming unavailable to the growing plants.

I’ve thrown a lot of technical data at you. What follows are pictures of our garden over the years. For us, the bottom line is yield, are we getting more produce for our efforts. Do we have fewer or more critters, as they can be an indication of problems. Have we noticed any disease?

We have conceded that some crops may not grow in our soil, but that doesn’t keep us from trying.

2013 06 12 12.41.03 300x225 Working with highly alkaline to sodic soil

Hoop house #1 mid June.

In hoop house #1, which has the most amended soil, we are growing beautiful greens, and root crops. Our tomatoes are blooming, and setting fruit. The sugar snap peas are starting to blossom, after having climbed nearly four feet.

2013 06 12 12.41.33 300x225 Working with highly alkaline to sodic soil

Hoop house 2 mid June

In hoop house #2, which is an average of 10 degrees hotter in the daytime, and 10 degrees cooler at night than #1, things are quite different. Aside from some persistent burrowing Townsend ground squirrels and mice, the broccoli is doing well. The Tomatoes are coming along, but not as fast as in #1. The chard is lagging, but the radishes are doing well.

We may have two tests done as we’re seeing considerable differences between the houses.

Things we’ve found that we can do include adding compost (both what we make and what we can purchase), farmyard manure within reason (more in #2 than in #1) as that adds considerable organic matter. This winter, we’ll be planting cover crops of hairy vetch, as part of the NRCS contract. I chose the vetch as it is a legume, and will help fix the nitrogen in the soil. It will also help provide organic material.

We will put the vetch down in #2 first and leave it there for 6 weeks, beginning in late September. Once that vetch has been tilled under, we’ll put vetch down in #1 for six weeks. We plan to replant as quickly as soil temps reach 50 degrees under low tunnels within the high tunnel hoop houses.

By gaining control of our desert soil, and extending the warmer soil temps with both high and low tunnels, we expect to produce veggies from late March through November. Currently, our outdoor growing season begins June 1 and extends maybe into early September. We could have frost any month of the year.

Pin It

pinterest button Working with highly alkaline to sodic soil

Be the first to comment - What do you think?
Posted by therealshari - June 13, 2013 at 1:36 pm

Categories: Certified Organic Garden, High Tunnel Tags: certified organic produce, high tunnel, hoop houses, soil test, soluble salts

We didn’t attend the March against Monsanto

I know, this is completely “out of character” for owners of a Certified Organic Produce and custom raised meats farm.

Here’s why we chose not to actively march (aside from the excuses that Bev’s knee hurt… she’s having knee replacement surgery this Wednesday and we just bought four ducklings that have to get home as it’s too hot in the truck for them).

We believe the problem is bigger than just Monsanto. The anger, and the protests really need to be against Congress, and the results of their voting… The creation and explosive growth of the USDA is a good start, along with the FDA, EPA, and any other alphabet soup agency that has ways of controlling our food, how we grow it, where we choose to raise it, how and when we sell it, and who chooses to purchase what we produce.

Don’t get me wrong, we each have our own feelings about Monsanto and it’s impact on the world’s food supply.

I personally feel food should be properly labeled, and that means if the manufacturers know they’re using GMO produce, they should note that on the label, in the ingredient statement. I don’t believe Monsanto should be allowed to be so heavy-handed regarding pollen drift of their mature plants. Maybe they need to step up and find a way to eliminate that problem. Suing the neighbor because the GMO plant pollen crossed with the what the neighbor had isn’t the neighbor’s problem. Same thing when a someone develops something that is “better” than Monsanto… they have no right to it.

Now, I also believe that if you’re so concerned about what you eat, you should restrict yourself to eating local, and eating what’s in season. That means you don’t come to the local Farmer’s Market in May, looking for tomatoes and cucumbers unless you live way down south, like Arizona, South Texas, etc.

Bev, who is a retired cop, chose not to march because of the influence of her previous career. She feels labeling would help with the issue, but like me, really believes the problem lies more with our government, and the money that greases campaigns in return for crucial votes.

Cindy has much the same opinion as Bev and I, as does Mom. Actually, Cindy simply believes they need to be gone. Without telling me why, she feels they’re completely out of place in our American food chain. After all, Europe has pretty much banned GMO seeds of any kind.

None of believe the status quo is good for us or good for the world.

Collectively, we believe our government has way too much power over our lives. We believe that many regulations are more business-killing than they need to be. We also believe individuals need to take on more responsibility for their own actions. You just can’t legislate common sense, any more than you can legislate morality.

Pin It

pinterest button We didnt attend the March against Monsanto

Be the first to comment - What do you think?
Posted by therealshari - May 26, 2013 at 3:07 pm

Categories: Certified Organic Garden, Farm Tales Tags: certified organic produce, Farmer's Market, monsanto, protests, usda

Temple Grandin, a most powerful spokeswoman for the animals

About 30 years ago, I (Shari Thomas) became aware of a woman who was “speaking for the animals”. She wasn’t an animal rights activist, and she wasn’t a farmer. She suffered from Asperger’s Syndrome a form of autism that enables her to use her energy in very positive ways, or more commonly, in less than stellar ways.

She was talking to the meat industry on behalf of the animals, not telling them to quit processing meat, but to make it more humane, to stop the suffering, and in turn, increase the quality of the final product. I was in the rabbit processing business, so I already understood what she was saying on behalf of the animals. We were really good a minimizing stress before slaughter, but in my opinion, did a lousy job of transporting our animals.

In my new life, I am one of the Four Country Gals. The other three do not have a similar background. Two are retired Law Enforcement Officers and another was a business woman. They’re still getting accustomed to the thought of butchering animals, even though one of them had a trapper’s license and put more than one critter out of it’s misery.

Over the past few years, we’ve dispatched chickens, and have assisted with goats and lambs for the local Saudi students who are attending SUU. They have come to the farm so they can butcher their animals according to Islam. It’s been a most educational experience for us to witness the ritual slaughter, and to realize there is no suffering when the animal is calm and free of stress.

We’ve also sent several animals (pig, cow, and lambs) to the local custom meat processors. These are small operations, but one is definitely better than the other. I’ve visited both cutting rooms and have been in their coolers and freezers.

What follows are a couple of videos presented by Dr. Temple Grandin. Today’s large processing plants are the difference of night and day. Gone are the forceful methods of the past century. Gone are the injured animals, the scared and nervous animals. Also gone is the noise. That is a sign that things have really changed for the better, from the time the animals are loaded into the transport trucks, until the time your meat is delivered to the grocery stores.

Please, take the time to watch these two videos. Once you’ve done that, make your own decision as to whom you believe, folks who lie to you with “undercover videos” or the plant managers who have allowed these detailed videos.

“If slaughter houses had glass walls… (Video)”

Pin It