The only way to know what that soil has for pH, P, K, Ca, and Mg is with a good reliable soil test. Along with that test you could also use these to get more information. 1) Soil test for organic matter. From that soil sample put enough of the rest to make a 4 inch level in a clear 1 quart jar, with a tight fitting lid. Fill that jar with water and replace the lid, tightly. Shake the jar vigorously and then let it stand for 24 hours. Your soil will settle out according to soil particle size and weight. For example, a good loam will have about 1-3/4 inch (about 45%) of sand on the bottom. about 1 inch (about 25%) of silt next, about 1 inch (25%) of clay above that, and about 1/4 inch (about 5%) of organic matter on the top. 2) Drainage. Dig a hole 1 foot square and 1 foot deep and fill that with water. After that water drains away refill the hole with more water and time how long it takes that to drain away. Anything less than 2 hours and your soil drainsâ too quickly and needs more organic matter to slow that drainage down. Anything over 6 hours and the soil drains too slowly and needs lots of organic matter to speed it up. 3) Tilth. Take a handful of your slightly damp soil and squeeze it tightly. When the pressure is released the soil should hold together in that clump, but when poked with a finger that clump should fall apart. 4) Smell. What does your soil smell like? A pleasant, rich earthy odor? Putrid, offensive, repugnant odor? The more organic matter in your soil the more active the soil bacteria will be and the nicer your soil will smell. 5) Life. How many earthworms per shovel full were there? 5 or more indicates a pretty healthy soil. Fewer than 5, according to the Natural Resources Conservation Service, indicates a soil that is not healthy.

"The reason Miracle Gro is thought to be bad for the soil is that it is not food for soil microbes." This isnÂt true. Microbes might not use the elements specifically for fuel, but they use them to carry out biological functions just like every other plant or animal. "The salty chemicals in Miracle Gro are not in any of the food groups (protein, vitamins, minerals, or carbohydrates)." This isnÂt true either. The minerals in fertilizers are minerals and are used by plants to make proteins, vitamins, and carbohydrates. As I said above, microbes use them as well. The deleterious effects of chemical fertilizers are way way overblown. Yes, if you inject anhydrous ammonia into the plow layer of your soil you are going to wipe out the microbe population and essentially sterilize the soil for a couple of weeks. If on the other hand you spray your yard with miracle grow in solution you are only going to stimulate microbes that will use the available nitrogen to burn carbon (organic matter) for fuel. " "Salts" defined in simplest terms, simply means that it dissolves in water." That is not a good definition. Many salts are considered insoluble such as phosphate rocks. A better definition is that a salt is a cation (positive charge because it is missing an electron) and an anion (negative charge because it has an extra electron) joined together (the positive and negative charges being drawn together). Table salt for example is a sodium cation bound with a chloride anion. Potassium sulfate, ammonium nitrate, etc are soluble salts that are used for fertilizers because they are composed of elements that plants use as nutrients.

1) Backing: Yes, add a small piece of plywood on the attic side of the studs. The piece of ply just needs to be wide enough to hit the two studs, and tall enough to go from right above the 2-by joist to a height above the top of the niche. 2) Insulation. Though it's not the perfect way to detail the vapor barrier, take your existing kraft faced insulation that is in the niche stud bay and peel away the FG batting from the paper. Don't separate them into two independents pieces...just pull them apart so they are still connected and hinged at the top, like two pages in a book connected by the book's binding. Have the kraft paper go on the bathroom side of the plywood and 2-by joist. Have the insulation go on the attic side of the plywood and 2-by joist. From the attic side, if you can, add additional fiberglass batting behind the niche area. That'll help insulate the transition area where the batting is between the studs in the two bays adjacent to the niche stud bay, and where the insulation is "in the attic" in the niche stud bay so to speak. I'd give you different advice were this a true exterior wall versus what it is; conditioned space (bathroom) versus unconditioned space (attic). Or if your barrier were something other than kraft. No worries though. 3) The hardie in the niche: Install the back piece first. Construction adhesive to adhere it to the drywall and to the 2-by. You can use a couple of screws to attach it to the plywood. Use your hardie pieces that line the sides, the top, and the bottom of the niche to "pinch" the edges of the back piece of hardie in place. You can screw your liners into the studs. Aside: When framing the niche, I pitch the bottom piece of 2-by-4 a bit for drainage into the shower versus installing it flat. Then when I set the hardie liner on that I know the liner piece will be pitched, and as a result, the tile or stone on the bottom of the niche will be pitched. 4) Here's an excerpt from an old thread where I framed a niche that just so happened to be on a wall lined with plywood. This was on a Kerdi Shower versus a HydroBan though. ABOVE: Niche construction. Cut into an existing wall, I had to remove portions of two studs in this partition wall. You can see the stud marks on the drywall in the back of the niche opening. Use kiln-dried lumber, not green or pressure-treated. This wall is skinned with 3/4" ply. But that's another story in and of itself! ABOVE: It doesn't show in this photo, but even the framing is pitched for drainage. ABOVE: Though the shower walls are lined with cement board, the niche interior is lined with strips of hardie. Cment board tends to crack/crumble when cut into thin strips, hardie is a bit more accommodating. I then pretty it up with thinset, squaring the corners, etc. You can see the shelves are pitched for drainage. ABOVE: Finished niche. Finished dimensions; the top opening is 11" tall, the bottom is 14-1/2" tall. Both are 36-1/2" wide and 4-1/4" deep.

Is it the white pail, "Old Port", by Terra Nova? My rock salt filled mouth speaking says it is probably fine. You could call them and check. Might be a phone # on the package. Or if in doubt, get the other one. Different brands may have a method of curing that needs the fridge. Most cured meats are fine in the temp of a grocery store. Make sure you allow 24-48 hours to soak in water, changing the water a few times. That will remove much of the salt. Usually the best way to tell if it is how you like it is to take a small cube after a few soakings and heat it in a bit of simmering water and taste. (I do the same with salt cod...we like it just barely salty for cakes and almost no salt for a baked filet dish) I highly recommend pease pudding. Lentils in a bag, (i just stitch up a bag the night before out of scrap fabric, muslin, and tie with butchers twine) and simmer along with the meat and vegetables. I've had many Jigg's and some are very salty but it seems a more modern version is less so. Even pouring out the first simmering water that has the salt meat and adding fresh again.