For those that think "it does not make a difference where the NPK atoms come from," do you also get the nutrition you need for your body in pill form only? It isn't the same thing. This is an apples and oranges comparison. Study after study has been done and plants are not physiologically capable of determining where it gets nutrients from. Plant response is the same regardless. A case in point is hydroponics. There ain't no soil, but the plants do just fine. Whether a bag of organic fertilizer, a cow's butt or a bag of synthetic fertilizer the 'stuff' that enters the roots is the same regardless. All fertilizer and no organic matter makes soil unhappy. This is not the same as saying 100% of nutrients have to come from organic matter or plants will be unhealthy. Take organic matter, strip away the organics to make the mineral available to the plant (which is what the soil herd do) and it's the same thing as is in the bag of fertilizer. That's what the plants take up into themselves.

Composting is a great way to deal with a very large amount of what would otherwise be "waste material." A properly managed compost pile should not smell or attract pests. The basic rule, if it looks bad or smells bad, it needs more cover material. Also, composting does not need to involve much work, a continuous pile does not get turned. In our composting (I'm more of a sustainable gardener than an organic gardener) we will swipe bags of leaves off the curb before yard waste pickup day and use them for our cover material. We also grab bags of grass clippings. I know there is no way of knowing what was used on those yards and the leaves and clippings could have been sprayed with something not organic. I'll risk it since I see composting those things as better than throwing them away. And I use the compost that I can get from the county that would be made with those things anyway. Back to the point of composting, Here are some links that tell about composting almost anything. http://www.jenkinspublishing.com/humanure.html http://www.weblife.org/humanure/default.html And you don't have to compost human manure for this info to be useful. Proper compost requires some variety in the materials, management to make sure it heats up and to ensure that it doesn't become a smelly heap. We take out trash only about once a month since all organic stuff goes to the worms or compost pile. Another, free source of fertilizer is urine. In sandy soil especially near a river, be sure to use carefully since it can leach away just as chemical fertilizers do. It should be diluted between 10 or 20 to one. I've been using about a cup or urine to a gallon of water to fertilize some plants. There is some odor during mixing and application but you should not be able to smell in in the garden by the next morning. The fish oil spray I have to use on the sago palm lingers for weeks but urine isn't a problem so long as it is applied to plants, dirt, mulch etc. If urine is dumped on concrete or the like, the odor will linger. I really like the ideas about using grains and mulch to boost up the microbe life in sandy soil. It's all so connected!

Some sources list fresh grass clippings with a C:N ratio of 20:! and dried grass clippings as having a C:N ratio of 15:1. Other sources will tell you that dried grass clippings are browns, having a high Carbon to Nitrogen ratio (sawdust is around 400:1). One source I found lists thatch as having a C:N ratio of 25:1 while other sources simply speculate that thatch must have a high C:N ratio. With that information grass clippings will always be a "green" not a "brown".

I thought adding lots of peat moss to the soils would be enough. But looks like I need to add even more to "dilute" the soil's alkalinity. Jackson-Perkins used to grow acres and acres of roses in this area, with no special amendments. No peat moss ... when that stuff dries out, it turns into plastic and is extremely hard to re-wet. And, if you have a heavily-supplemented planting hole surrounded by native dirt, you will stunt the roots. They won't leave the hole. It's called "flower-potting" because you might as well have them in a pot. Soil Sulfur will lower the pH a bit, but more important, it frees up other minerals. Dig a planting hole a couple of feet wide and deep enough to hold the roots and have the graft at the correct level. Fill the hole with water and let it drain. This puts a reservoir of water under the roots to encourage them to go deep. Mix a cupful or so of soil sulfur into the dirt you removed from the hole, plant the rose in the hole at the correct level and pat the dirt down. Thoroughly water the plant in - a slow soak. Apply a thick mulch to the entire planting basin to hold in the moisture. Water deeply when you water, and use a moisture probe to tell you when you need it, until you get used to your garden's patterns.