Jon, By N stuff, I meant the Neptune's, -fishy stuff, Some fish ferts. are famous for smellyness. Why would straight nitrogen smell or deter deer? ... :) He, he, consider the source. The micronutrients would be nice though. It was Rangier that was refering to the 'great low N, high P-'. Not that I'm agin' a natural source, as I could sure use a bag of horse or cow flops, now for tea [hmm, most N sources sure would smell, but not as badly as fish]. Some wood chips, that are still too near the edge of the veggie patch, are corraling, too much nitrogen, and a little supplementation would help. Molasses [and banana peel] is a surprisingly good source of potassium. "Only two things that money can't buy - True Love and Home Grown Tomatoes ". Who does that song, It's a Hoot! Can't wait till August.

Hey guys, I'm just getting into this post. Stacy you are going through battle that we have all fought. I must agree with two posts on the thread. You do have to increase the amount of plants in the pond. Algae is at the bottom of the food chain. Plants will absorb nutrients produced by fish. A question that no one has asked. How many fish are in your pond and how often do you feed them. Fish waste and non eaten fish food will contribute to pea green water. I myself have always had problems with string algae. Last year I dropped an ion gen filter in my skimmer. I really could not believe the difference. I do believe in trying to balance a pond. However what happened the year before is that I had so many plants in the waterfall and pond. When the cold weather hit and my plants starting dying back, algae went crazy. I have 5 dogs that run around and play around my ponds. I have not had an issue with pond chemicals affecting them. Hope this helps! Craig

I asked my botany professor at Morton Arboretum (I'm going back to school after 50 years) "What is anhydrous ammonia made of and how does it affect crops?" Reason I did is because I read all the time about how totally deficient our agricultural soil is (mass production of our food) Answer: (from Ag Prof): Anhydrous ammonia is a nitrogen fertilizer commonly used on crops such as corn. It is injected into the soil as a fertilizer. Due to the chemistry of anhydrous ammonia, the injection band initially is toxic to plant growth because of high pH. In a relatively short period of time after injection into the soil the ammonia is converted to nitrate and the pH of the injection band decreases. Nitrate is the primary form of nitrogen used by corn from the soil. At this point the corn plant can use the fertilizer and provide higher yields. Nitrogen is the nutrient which is the most limiting of corn yield on most fields. Nitrogen is needed by the plant because it is a critical component of proteins. Deficiencies affect all aspects of crop growth including chlorophyll production. Plants short on nitrogen are stunted and have a light green color. The exact amount of fertilizer needed depends on the productivity of the soil. Nitrogen fertilizer is not typically applied to soybean. Soybean is a legume plant with the capability of fixing atmospheric nitrogen to meet its nitrogen need. Consequently, farmers do not need to apply fertilizer nitrogen to grow this crop. Unless you have a clear understanding of the nutrient needs of your soil as well as your PLANT, you can be either wasting your time and/or your money and possibly harming the plant. Agribusiness requires much different methods of growing than does plant culture in gardening." So I know legumes are capable of fixing atmospheric nitrogen, as are most plants -- especially those not grown in fields which are continually plowed. We talked about the nutrient-depleted soil from which our mainstay crops grow. Bottom line: grow your own food in soil you make yourself! I have never been more passionate about anything in my entire life. I want to eat REAL vegetables - the kind they grow in Europe. I don't know where to go but it aint HERE. And I want chickens. I have been using the AACT method of composting (aerated activated compost tea) using worm castings. The worm castings grow microbial organisms within a day or two of 'cooking' in a 25 gallon container with a pump for aeration. It must be applied quickly when finished or the organisms will die as soon as the air is cut off. It is sprayed on foliage and the soil is drenched almost weekly. Since I started this four years ago, I have incredibly friable, sweet and worm-filled soil and have watched my garden explode. I disturb the soil as little as possible - only top dress. And my profs validated this method for me. After having been further educated by reading some of the info here, I've been scooping up some of the 'natural' mulch on the floor of nearby wooded areas, (the older the better) and topdressing the soil. Also, slowly adding a few different things like alfalfa, corn meal, and/or rice flour also increases microbial organisms. but I want rich friable compost so bad! Are you serious about Urine? I'm ready to pee everywhere, seriously. What about the pee of dogs and cats that ruins lawn (which is a pathetic waste of land) -- how does this differ from human urine? And what about fish emulsion and/or seaweed products? I realize dairy and meat is a major NO. But what do eggshells provide? And yes, I keep the piles under both trees far enuf away from the trunk. We have no termites in Illinois anyway - I just think it's better for the trunk to keep it free from suffocating. I'm sorry this is so long, but I'm still not really clear aout the legume thing. Do I have to actually PLANT them in the compost or can I throw legume leftovers into the pile? I need a frickin' farm. And he just wants to play golf. It's amazing how 45 years of marriage becomes a whole different ballgame. Too bad I love him - he's a good man - just not a farmer like me. Thanks for all the help and I apologize for the epistle. Westy PS Incidentally, I have room for only five tomato plants - enough to warrant an Rx for antidepressants. And my passion is Hosta - 300.

Here are a couple of tasty variations in different colors: Red Lentil Soup With Lemon (NY Times 1/9/08) Time: 45 minutes 3 tablespoons olive oil, more for drizzling 1 large onion, chopped 2 garlic cloves, minced 1 tablespoon tomato paste 1 teaspoon ground cumin 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, more to taste 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper Pinch of ground chili powder or cayenne, more to taste 1 quart chicken or vegetable broth 1 cup red lentils 1 large carrot, peeled and diced Juice of 1/2 lemon, more to taste 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro. 1. In a large pot, heat 3 tablespoons oil over high heat until hot and shimmering. Add onion and garlic, and sauté until golden, about 4 minutes. 2. Stir in tomato paste, cumin, salt, black pepper and chili powder or cayenne, and sauté for 2 minutes longer. 3. Add broth, 2 cups water, lentils and carrot. Bring to a simmer, then partially cover pot and turn heat to medium-low. Simmer until lentils are soft, about 30 minutes. Taste and add salt if necessary. 4. Using an immersion or regular blender or a food processor, purée half the soup then add it back to pot. Soup should be somewhat chunky. 5. Reheat soup if necessary, then stir in lemon juice and cilantro. Serve soup drizzled with good olive oil and dusted lightly with chili powder if desired. Yield: 4 servings. ============================================================ Yellow Split Pea and Sweet Potato Soup (www.wholefoods.com) 1 cup yellow split peas 1 quart vegetable broth 1 medium sweet potato, peeled and cut into ½-inch slices 7 whole green cardamom pods 1Â2 tablespoons ghee (clarified butter) or canola oil 1 medium yellow onion, chopped 1 teaspoon garam masala 1/2Â1 teaspoon ground cumin lemon Cayenne pepper sea salt, to taste ground pepper, to taste Soak the peas in water to cover overnight. Drain and rinse. Bring vegetable broth to a boil in a medium pot. Add soaked peas, sweet potato slices and cardamom pods. Reduce heat to a simmer and cover. Simmer for an hour. (N.B. I skipped the soaking and gave the split peas a 15 minute head start and simmered until the peas and potato were falling apart -- less than an hour) Heat ghee in a skillet over medium heat. Add onions, garam masala and cumin and cook for 10 minutes, stirring often. When sweet potatoes and peas are tender, add the spiced onions to the pot. Stir and cook another 5 minutes. Remove cardamom pods and season the soup with lemon, cayenne, salt, and pepper, as desired. Serves 4