I'm letting the soil in my garden rest this year. While not gardening, I do not plan to completely ignore the soil. I plan on adding more organic matter, maybe broad-forking to increase aeration, and working to improve the overall health and balance. One thing I've never done before, it to check the actual pH levels in my garden. So today we're going to pull some samples from all of the beds, and test them to see what's actually going on out there in the dirt ♥ pH Test Strips Used: amzn.to/3G0uxbU

I just had 2 soil test done on my garden. Talking to the master gardeners, at the extension office, it was recommended that I get the first one done at least a month before I wanted to start planting. Then apply what they tell you, and let it rest for a few weeks, and then retest. The recommendation is 6.2 to 6.8. That is the zone that all vegetables will thrive in, with a few exceptions. The only veggie that I know of that prefers a 6.8 to 7 is asparagus. At this point, because you are in a rest..Do your clean out, put whatever you were planning on putting there. The ashes, the coop poop...all of it. You won't really have a good clue, as to where that stuff will get you, for at least 3 months. So, pile away, and then a few weeks before you are ready to start, do a pro test-(s) Only 2. You will take a few teaspoons 6 inches down, from each of the raised beds, and then the same from the ground beds. So, have a good rest! Pile on the stuff, and hang on until next spring. You will be surprised at what you get back! The only caution I was given, is to NOT apply any new composting material for 2 to 3 months before I want to test.

@Vickie.countrycookin9057

Жыл бұрын

Rachel I don’t think you add lime it’s already a little to alkaline you just need to keep adding your compost to bring up the acidity I think 🤷🏼‍♀️

I'm not surprised your soil leans acidic. You have super happy blueberry bushes.

We are also resting our land following the Bible is always perfect. We have three gardens and are working the other 2 this year. Enjoy your channel. Father’s Blessing

It’s not just about the ph. You must have the correct trace elements at the correct ratio with the proper NPK for success. If you are missing any of them or too much of the essential trace elements, you will have some sort of crop failure such as blossom rot, insect infestation or lots of leaves with limited fruiting.

Rachel you should test the plain distilled water what that ph level is

We get our soil tested every year. Our Extension office recommends a sample every 10 sq ft! Our garden is an acre. Lol We usually just do the four corners. 🤷‍♀️ It gives us an idea. This garden has been used for over 50 years, without a break. I do have blueberries to plant this year and I’m going to need to get it acidified a bit, I’m sure!

That’s good to know your Ph in your Garden., Thanks didn’t know that Rachel. Happy Easter 4-8-2023👍🏽👍🏽❤

Your ph is why your soil grows so many awesome blueberries.

Wow Rachel you are GLOWING ✨💫✨💫✨💫✨

This native soil in your in ground beds is fairly acidic. That’s why your blueberries are so successful

I just love your videos! Helped me finally start a channel with my family. Lots of love!

My mom would be yelling, get that dirt off my counter. lol. I don't have a green thumb but I'm learning. Thanks Rachel.

Hi Rachel. This was interesting and fun to watch. To all the people who are gardening this year. May all of you have an amazing day. And for you Rachel, you are a peach to teach other's ingesting their soil. God Bless you and have a Blessed day. Love you. Mari'a. ❤️❤️❤️❤️👍👍👍👍🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗💐💐💐💐🌹🌹🌹🌹💙💙💙💙💙💜💜💜💕💕💕🌼🌼

Thank you for showing this, I too need to test my soil before planting my garden.

I bought test kit for our soil this yr . Thanks dear GODBLESS

Thanks Rachel. We need to test our soil.

Enjoy the garden

I am stepping up my game this year and growing blueberries. My yard is small and I am cramming as much as I can. I just harvested 14 heads of garlic and will be planting more for next year. So interesting to see the ph results. I may need to do that in my back yard.

Absolutely love your sweater you wore in this! I've got to test my soil this year!

@Funky_Fairy

Жыл бұрын

I,was,going to say the same thing, it’s beautiful ❤

I pretty much use ash, compost, and cover crops to adjust soil. I have a no buy philosophy

Last September, we put in a small “instant garden” from Homesteading Family, patch next to the house(just about 3 feet)topped with the soil to plant garlic. Then built 2 raised beds same procedure:cut the grass with a weed Wacker very short, fresh food clippings, layer of cardboard, then we added a layer of Black Kow manure, newspaper & a very thick layer of wood chips. Today we took off the top layer of chips & added the composted manure & soil. The worms were already doing their work! Made me so excited to get planting.

During your rest period is a great time to add beds, move beds, fix trellises, there's always plenty to do in the garden with out actual plants

Very wise to rest the land

Great idea Rachel

We had the unfortunate experience of getting some poor and possibly tainted soil 2 years ago. Absolutely nothing would grow in them. We did some massive homemade compost mixes to try to fix things. Last year we had decent results in 2 of the 6 affected beds, and of the remaining 4, we found 3 were slowly bouncing back. But being impatient as i am, i wanted to know exactly what was happening. I bought pH strips and found our soil is naturally alkaline. Actually our water is pretty alkaline as well. And since we water quite a bit, it makes sense. Once we added sulfur to all the beds, we saw fast results! That last remaining bed had the smallest, most pathetic looking radishes and peas struggling to grow. And within a few days, their leaves greened up and the began to grow. Unfortunately, the soil still needed more, but it was a start. We did add more sulfur later in the season, and lots of mulch and compost. And will be adding more amendments soon. But i will most definitely be checking the pH again.

@smas3256

Жыл бұрын

Will you be saving rain water to water your garden? We have city water chemical rich. RO filter but read minerals are taken out through the filtration. Rain barrel and anything to collect rain and dump or water can it in.

@cynthiafisher9907

Жыл бұрын

My soil is very alkaline as well. A lot of people will tell you to add wood ash to your garden soil, but don’t do it, it will add alkalinity to the soil. Those people have acid soil to begin with, so ashes help balance theirs out.

❤ need to get my soil tested this year ❤

Wondering if since you used the same stick to stir all jars if that will affect any of the numbers enough to have changed?? Also wondering how much it will change in the fall after all the clean out has leached out.

@1870s

Жыл бұрын

Not with so little carry over

I'd love to see your garden layout and dimension of you garden and beds!!

Great video.

Your braid is so pretty! I love it!

I see now why you are able to grow blue berries so well.

Very interesting video, ty 😊

Who doesn't need a good tonic!?!😂 What a fun thing to try. Thank you.

Nice! Dirt smoothies for your houseplants! 😎😁

Thank you Rachel for walking us through this DIY testing. This is very helpful and appreciated. I will definitely be trying it! Blessings on your day Kiddo! 🥰🌻🐛💕

Oh my goodness Little Petey looks all grown up with that haircut. I love it!

We did a soil sample kit via mail. Not expensive & very worth it. U get soooo much info other than just ph. Also list any recommended fixes needed. We lucked out with good soil. But definitely worth looking into a more detailed test at least once.

@broken10100

Жыл бұрын

Who did you send yours to

Rachel.,. I love your Dutch Braid 🎀

Still to cold but I can't wait to get my hands dirty. Love from Virginia

Great info. I grow in containers with one small raised bed. I'm wondering if i pull from 3 grow bags for a general consensus of the soil, then from the raised bed.

Great step-by-step of DIY soil testing. Starting raise beds for the first time this year so I will be checking it at the beginning and end of the season. Great info as usual.

I'm so glad you're sharing your garden advice and wisdom. I didn't think about the soil health .

Thank you for this information. Unfortunately for me, all these numbers hurt my brain. I'm going to try to test my beds, using this info. Wish me luck!

This was helpful. I’ll definitely have to order some strips. I guess if you didn’t want to cross contaminate each sample tho you probably shouldn’t have stirred every jar with the same stick.

Rachael, you look so well-rested! Love your hair braided! I can do a French braid on my own long hair, but always end up with the Dutch braid when I braid my granddaughter's hair. Thank you for showing me how to DIY soil test...can't afford to have it done professionally, so this is a step in the right direction!

Maybe this was asked but will you use your green stalk planters this year or will you let those rest too?

YIKES! I haven't did this! Your soil looks so rich compared to mine. 🤔😬

I just ordered 1 raised bed and 2 stackable towers. Now I need to go back and see what you filled your towers with.

Thanks for the reminder to test my soil. Even though it is a blustery early spring day, my seedlings are starting to sprout. You can garden vicariously through us.

Pretty close though. Add bone meal or mushroom compost or homestead equivalent to what you want, phosphorus is almost always low here

I would think your results would be off since you are stirring with the same stick and moving drops across to the other jars.

Why just ph? We use RXSOIL tells you everything! The report is awesome breaks down all aspects of the earth

We are totally redoing our garden set up this year. Our soil was to acidic and clay with rocks. Not good for growing. I was only able to grow butternut squash and sunflowers the first year. Second nothing this year new plan for resetting the garden.

This is very geekie to me, I've never really tested but have just added stuff along the way, so now it makes perfect sense why certain things wouldn't grow at all. So I think I'll be doing some testing. I still have a couple of yrs before my sabbath, but we've really come a long long way, from 2 little pallet gardens to 11 raised beds & a 30 x 40 grnd garden. This yr we're building a fence & our greenhouse didn't make it through the winter so we're building a cattle panel greenhouse, wish us luck. We got taken online for 2 greenhouses & lost that $, then we order just a small one from Home Depot last yr, and it wasn't sturdy enough for our Maine Winter. If this cattle panel one doesn't work, that's it for me & my ($$$) pocketbook, I'll submit to no greenhouse for me. 😢😂😢😂😢❤❤❤

Follow up video idea: send soil samples off to one of those companies and see how the results compare to your test trips strips! Our garden is 4 raised beds. I've never tested the soil. We used to grow tomatillos in one of the sections and after a really terrible growing season, I moved them to a different bed last year. They did great! So maybe it was the pH?

I did some research last year concerning helping my garden soil. I found AEA has lots of info.if you want to deep dive soil. They do sell soul amendments. I enjoy the science of it. Recommends some books.

I think it's a great idea!!! It can be very beneficial for all of us!!! God Bless!!!

I've never done soil testing, perhaps its something I need to do when I've sorted my soil a little as the London clay I am on has all sort of issues that I can sort 1st

Interesting. I checked the PH of tomato juice using those litmus measures after adding correct Ball citric acid before canning a batch last year. Shocked to discover the acidity wasn’t within safe waterbath canning guidelines. I pressure canned instead using beef stock timing.

Thank you! I have never tested my soil either. I have canning ph testers too and will try this.

You were going to leave a link for the Garden Sabbath rest but I don't see it... ❤

We just moved to a two acre older home with lots of quirks. Barely has snything been done. I,m starting from scratch which is fine but I need so much. I need top soil, manure, mulch, rock, compost. My main concern is bringing in pesticides. Especially from farmers who spray their hay or straw fields then with the manure as well.

@rainspringing

Жыл бұрын

Test any soil, manure, compost or mulch by planting peas or beans in a small sample first. (Mulch by mixing into a known safe oil sample and planting the beans or peas.) If they sprout, then grow well for about two to three weeks, then it's likely safe for plants. Test works for most of the herbicides residue, which is a more likely and more deadly issue than pesticide residue.

Your soil is pretty opposite of mine, which makes a lot of sense, since you get so much more rain than I do. I just read that chicken manure is neutral to alkaline, so more of that would help your soil out, it seems.

Pam says- I noticed that you used the same stirrer for all jars and the same water to wash the strips. Wouldn't that cross contaminate your results? If you have time, you might resample 1 or 2 spots by themselves to see if there is a difference. Check twice, cut once. 😎

Thanks for showing how you did this. I need to do mine also. I've never done them either. As a side note... I love the way you have your hair braided! Is there a name for that type of braid. It's different from a French braid. I need to learn how to do this.

@kimberlyhughes4515

Жыл бұрын

It's a Dutch braid!

@cynthiafisher9907

Жыл бұрын

It’s like an inside-out French braid.

I still have two feet of snow in the yard

And they think growing vegetables or a garden it's easy . It's a learning process without end 🙄 Always the need to keep up with the different beds . I got 3 with desperate needs right now .. I always try the natural stuff and add some wood ash while I am planting. Got my compost going but not enough for the amount of beds i have . So definitely I need to come up with a solution rather then spend on buying compost . Ahhhhh . It all work out . One day at the time . 😂

I had heard that cold spring soil always tests more acidic then warm fall soil. Anyone know if this is true?

I have never applied any kind of fertilizer to my raised beds, but I'm thinking I probably should. I ordered onion transplants from Dixondale Farms for the first time and I'm going to plant them tomorrow. I got out in my garden for a little bit tonight for the first time and loosened up the soil and got some of the weeds out of it that has started already. I'm so excited! I'm just not sure what is the best kind to get for the onions. I've got about 74 to plant and I want them to do well. I've only bought sets at the store before and last year they didn't do anything, so I have high hopes for these. Can you give me an idea of one that would be good that I could get at Menards or Lowes?

@renabarnett2238

Жыл бұрын

Google Dixondale how to plant onions. They have a step by step guide with what fertilizer to start with and what to feed with during growing and when to stop fertilizing. It is super helpful.

You probably have fabulous soil. I would not be surprised if that’s what you’re told. Zone 6b. Go Huskies.

I have never soil tested our garden. Maybe I should now. I will be interesting to see what is is lacking.

Should you use the same stirrer from jar to jar?

@1870s

Жыл бұрын

Not enough cross to worry about

I've gardened in dead soil at the community gardens and gardened my own soil in my backyard that teams with worms in the spring; the production and quality of vegetables are like night and day. I think you are wise to allow the soil to rest. For me, I like to concentrate on the soil life. I've learned that sometimes it is good to allow roots to stay in the soil and just chop off the tops, which allows the microbes to produce valuable exudates for the plants. I am lucky enough to live near the U of I agricultural extension center and I might check in with them to see what tests they might do for the actual soil life. I'm looking forward to seeing how the fallow garden blesses you next year.

First thing, I admit I'm a garden geek and analyze the scientific research probably more than I should. Regarding amendments to raise the pH and mineral content, wood ash does both, whereas lime or "mineral supplements' won't (as effectively). Ash is high in salt complexes that make soil more alkaline (a little goes a long way, so don't apply more than a light dusting to the soil). Ash is also a great source of critical macro and micro minerals especially calcium, potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, sulfur, manganese, zinc, and boron. All those minerals a tree uses to grow are NOT burned off but stay in the ash. Ash from bark (especially oak or fir) is much higher in calcium and almost no potassium, compared to ash from core wood. It's often said that 'wood ash' is high in potassium so I wanted to correct that thought in case you have a potassium deficiency and lots of bark ash. You can google "wood ash composition as a function of furnace temperature" to find these data if interested. The other thought I had for fallowing your garden would be to plant a cover crop of rye grass or such and let it grow up this summer, then chop and drop it in the fall (this is what I'd do, fwiw). But honestly, your garden is always so productive I don't know why your worrying about it :) Good luck!

@1870s

Жыл бұрын

Thank you for the information

I started to do this then I realized I was cross contaminating storing with the same stick but I don't think it really matters

Hi Rachael Where did you get the test strips

@1870s

Жыл бұрын

there's a link in the description of the video, as well as a pinned commet.

Just curious, were you able to find anything about what a rest year does to the soil in terms of pH, etc?

@1870s

Жыл бұрын

I plan to test again in the fall and compare.

@GoingGreenMom

Жыл бұрын

@@1870s okay, just wasnt sure if you had found any info from someone that had done this before.

Your hair is beautiful

💚🌞

Wouldn't the pH of the distilled water play a role in the end result, also being around the 5.5 range?

@1870s

Жыл бұрын

Distilled water should not affect it

@PureLace

Жыл бұрын

@@1870s Interesting, good to know!

Hi Rachel ❤ òòh it's sounds like your scratching your jars😮

@cynthiafisher9907

Жыл бұрын

She’s not, it’s a wooden chopstick.

Rachel, are you going to let your volunteer’s grow?

@1870s

Жыл бұрын

Yup

Aren't you contaminating jars with same stir stick?

@1870s

Жыл бұрын

Not likely with a couple of tiny drops that may cross. This isn't that scientific of a test.

not telling you how to do things but my friend did this but do to ger families needs she gardeneded on a smaller plot

Wow! That's a great idea to use those test strips. Will you plant anything in your Greenstalk?

👍💞

Thank you, close enough. Scientist by education, what was the PH of the water. Swizzle stick should have been cleaned before moving to the next jar. Rinsing water should have been fresh between strips. LIS, close enough. God Bless and stay safe.

@michellerose6721

Жыл бұрын

I believe distilled water is neutral at 7.

That's why I commented on your abundance of blueberries. They supposedly like acidic soil. Have you acidified them at all? I do mine a little. But it's a guess. It's yet another thing on that long list of factors to tweak. Figure it out. Tell the world.

Hi Rachel and Todd! Have you heard of Dr. Elaine Ingham? She has some great lectures on soil science and compost that you might be interested in listening to. Here's the link to part 1 of her soil science master class kzread.info/dash/bejne/d6aBqrRvfcaacs4.html

I think the brand you are using would be used for urine and saliva, not designed for water. I bought a digital tester, maybe 12 or 13 dollars from Amazon, that I use for canning and gardening.

Be nice to get a little more acidic.

Grow some cover crops at least.

Ph means verylittle unfortunately for you. Soil labs cost 20 bucks per test, in the us. Everywhere else it’s hundred. So, enjoy and use it ;)

If your garden soil is close to ideal why wouldn’t you plant ?

@1870s

Жыл бұрын

This is why kzread.info/dash/bejne/X4mBqqqFhLGdfNo.html

Aren’t you contaminating your seperate samples by stirring them over and over and over again with the same stick? I would recommend sending your samples to your state’s extension office and getting it actually tested. It’s not expensive and they will tell you exactly what you’re lacking or what to do to fix any excessive high numbers. Most plants are not going to be happy in a 5.5 pH soil. That is way too acidic. I have the opposite problem where I am generally, my pH is 7+ in almost every sample, but my plants do great as long as I give them the light that they want and feed them regularly. Food = Flowers = Food. I love the cycles God made for us.

No lime your to alkaline you just need to keep adding compost to get your acidity up ❤I think 🤷🏼‍♀️

@michellerose6721

Жыл бұрын

7 is neutral. 1 is most acidic and 10 is most alkaline.❤

Why don’t you add bio chat to bring up alkaline level and fertility. You can make your own bio char…I have seen videos on KZread.