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Soil, Compost & Mulch

What should I do with my soil?

8 years ago

Today I finally did my first soil test. My raised garden bed is 8 feet x 4 feet x 1 foot. I tested my soil and in the bottom right corner, the bottom left corner, the middle, the top left corner, and the top right corner. They all pretty much read lighter than neutral so I'm guessing right now, my soil is around a pH of 6.9. I plan on growing hot peppers this year in my raised bed. So what should I add to make it go down a little? Also how much of it should I add to a 8x4x1 raised bed?

Featured Answer

kimmq

8 years ago

You may find some sources that will tell you that Chili Peppers need leaner, meaner soils to develop the heat they are grown for, but the article linked above is a good growing guide.

If you live in the United States your states Ag school will have the Cooperative Extension Service which will not always be at the county courthouse. The Cooperative Extension Service is a good resource little used by many. Your states CES can be found by typing into a search engine your state and CES, for example Michigan CES.

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Comments (9)

User
8 years ago
"So what should I add to make it go down a little?"

Nothing. Home test kits are wildly inaccurate.

Also, most plants are tolerant of a wider range of pH than you might think, so go ahead and plant things and see how they do.
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kokopellifivea
8 years ago
Home pH tests are OK compared to other home soil tests. But peppers are commonly grown out west in high pH soil.

As you are growing hot peppers you might want to add a bit of sulfur if you haven't added any in recent memory.
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Thanks for all your advice, but I have tried all the deterrents you mentioned, but my problem is what to do with that soil. One deterrent mentioned which I know works is used coffee grounds, which I used in one part of the bed in the spring and it worked, but then they went to another part. I have also used a solution of Dettol, which works but needs to be applied quite often. I am prepared to use the deterrents once I have changed the soil, but it is disposing of the unsanitary soil that stumps me. By the way, last summer we trapped nine of these cats and turned them over to the Humane Society. I believe they were put down. Another neighbour trapped one and had it spayed - we can see her scar. But the two who we could not trap have a litter of four little ones now well on their way to adulthood. As you know, they are incestuous, and so we will be have more babies in the spring. Harebell, you had a good idea. I think I will dump it at the back next to the compost and I still have lots of leaves with which I could cover it. Maybe I could put a tarp over the whole pile too. We can't rid of them until the neighbour stops feeding them, and she used to work for a vet, and won't. Thank you all.
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I guess I wasn't really wondering about fertilizer, just soil quality. In Dallas we do not have acidic soil at all. These plants were here when we moved in 4 years ago. Our neighbors have told us that the old owners had trucks of dirt brought in for the azaleas, which is why they looked so good I guess. When we first moved in I had someone from the Dallas Arboretum come out to show me how to prune them. When he first saw them he said there was no way they were azaleas because they can't grow like this here. He didn't believe they were azaleas until he came and saw them blooming.I really don't know if the leaves look good and green or not. How deep of a green are they supposed to be? Quite a few of them are tinged yellow just a little bit, but none of the leaves are a deep dark green..more of a lighter green. They didn't bloom like usual last year, but we had a watering problem the summer before that. One of our soaker hoses wasn't working right. We didn't realize it in time to stop 2 plants from dying. The only thing I have done is put down pine bark mulch and occasionally throw a few handfulls of azalea fertilizer on them. I literally have to just throw the fertilizer on the plants, and then shake them to get the granules to the ground. They are so big and bushy that I can't get under them to work it into the ground. If anyone has any suggestions I would love to hear them! Thanks in advance!
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I'll leave the soil mix for someone else. Many people have their own "special formula". It sounds like you have that under control though. Hopefully the manure was aged/composted so it won't be too rich. It is definitely not too early to plant the above listed vegetables. In fact, you could have done it quite a bit earlier. I will provide a link to the UT Ag Ext site below. Take a look at their Guide to Cool-Season Vegetables. It's probably too late to winter sow. Usually this is done earlier when the weather is consistently cold. Planting indoors would be a very good idea and will give you an important head start. I have already planted mine and have little baby plants popping up. If you are going to grow them from seed, I would plant ASAP. Here is a link that might be useful: University of Tennessee Agricultural Extension Service Publications
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kimmq
8 years ago
Like most plants that grow fruit we eat Chili's do best in soils with a pH in the 6.0 to 6.5 range, but they will grow in any soil with a pH up to 7.0 with no problem. Chili's do best in soils well endowed with organic matter that is evenly moist but well drained and has balanced nutrients.

Perhaps this article may be of some help.

http://www.motherearthnews.com/organic-gardening/growing-peppers/growing-peppers-zmaz10fmzraw.aspx

kimmq is kimmsr
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mfarrar29
Original Author
8 years ago
So you guys are saying they can grow in neutral soil?
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toxcrusadr
8 years ago
Absolutely.

But pH is not the only thing to be aware of. How is your soil in terms of organic matter? Do you add compost? Is it sandy, silty or clay?
User
8 years ago
Yes, they can grow in neutral soil, slightly acid soil ... and even in the alkaline crap I had in Phoenix. They grow just fine all over New Mexico, in many different soil types and pH levels - sandy, riverbottom silt, Rio Grande clay, volcanic eroded conglomerate, etc.
Having reliable moisture is essential - if you stunt the growth of the chiles with lack of water, they stay malformed. So adjust your watering and use a mulch if necessary.
User
8 years ago
Call the home economist at the court house and ask if they can direct you to a free or low cost soil test. In my state they send it off to a university and it costs between $3-5.
mfarrar29
Original Author
8 years ago
Thanks everyone for the answers!
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