I feel for you, Maupin. I planted peas on the first of the month, and the temp is supposed to drop to 28 degrees here tomorrow night. I think an Arctic freeze is going to capture most of the US then, but it looks like it will move on from here by the next day. Maybe you, too? Mine may be more damaged by the cold than yours though. They haven't broken ground, but if they've broken through the outer seed layer, I think that isn't good, even if they're still underground. No doubt the soil around them will freeze at that temp. But I knew something like this was entirely possible, so I can take it :-).

Yes, temp has an affect on soil nutrients although I don't understand it well enough to know how it would affect test results, if at all. The N content of soybean meal I am fairly confident in for a few reasons. I have seen the number in a number of credible places. Also, the math I was taught is to take the protein percentage and divide it by either 6.25 or 6.75 (I forget which) to figure the percent nitrogen. Soybean meal is 48.5% protein (usually) so 48.5/6.25=7.76 and 48.5/6.75=7.18. My apologies as I researched this a few years ago and once I knew the N content forgot the links and math. I find soybean meal at a local grain coop where they process grains into different feeds. I pay $22.00 for 150 lbs so that works out to 14.6 cents per pound. I buy 150lbs because I use it as a lawn fertilizer applied 10-20 pounds per 1,000 sq ft. The lighter amount where the grass is perfect and the heavier amount where the grass appears to need some more 'oooph' ;-) (thin spots and such). I use the left overs as a light dusting on gardens to supply some additional N which often isn't adequate in any soil no matter how organic for N heavy plants like veggies or annual flowers.

It's always nice to find sprouts in a jug . . . right? I am still working on getting my jugs ready. Hopefully tonite I will get a friend to drill my drain/air holes in these heavy juice jugs. Trust me, I am not going to cut these all apart in spring. It's taken too much prep time so I plan on using them again next year. I have been looking at tomato transplants *gasp* but I need a little headstart after last year's fiasco. Just a few to tide me over while I wait for the WS one's to grow. Looks like I will need about 25 jugs in all, really. Maybe 30, to take care of the seeds I already have. Make that 40 counting my own saved seeds. Well . . . No where near those brave souls that put out hundreds of jugs! What about bulbs? I think I asked that once but it was lost in the list. Spring flowering bulbs such as crocus and daffodils- any use doing this with them? Or should I just stick them in a pot and leave them in the garage till spring?

Well, the farmer who owns a small dump truck will be off his winter vacation in another week, and he is committed to delivering two trucks of composted manure, topsoil, cut with bark, and I've about removed all the bushel-sized briars from the future home of my new hostas, now in containers. I hear what Gardenfanatic says that they like good soil. And in this area, I'll be raising the beds as well. I really must take some shots of those plantagenea and the Stained Glass. I'm holding my breath for the others too. Their potential shade trees, the pecans, don't leaf out until mid May or so, so they'll be getting a lot of sun. You know, I can feel the energy level rising on the Hosta Forum. Anticipation is a good thing. It has not been much of a winter this year....knock on wood....so far anyway.