Bone Meal, Blood Meal, Worm Castings

[southerngrower]

I tried last year growing organically.... My dirt is from an abandoned saw mill and from a couple of piles were the power company "chipped" some trees they cut many years ago in my neighborhood, that has now composted. The tomatoes I grew last year were really good, just didn't produce many. This year I would like to add some ammendments to the soil, and have been thinking a mixture of blood meal, bone meal, and worm castings. I have a raised bed approx 8 x 16 or 128 sq ft. I was thinking I would mix all three of these and till in, and then plant maybe mid April. I am in AL. Will this be enough? And does anyone have suggestions on how much of each type. Any and all help will be greatly appreciated. (I will also have a few peppers in the bed.)

[opabinia51]

All good soil ammendments but, instead of using a rotatiller, just use a shovel to turn the ingredients into the soil. Rotatilling shreds beneficial fungal mycelia (cells), disrupts bacterial colonies and kills worms and beneficial insects and not to mention benefical vertebrates. It also shreds organic matter; allowing it to burn up all at once releasing all the nutrients contained within and leaving none behind for the future.

The goal in organic garden is to establish a healthy, vibrant soil ecosystem that will both feed and take care of your plants and resist disease.

Also, eith the wood chips that can be very resistant to composting due to the lignins contained therein you might want to add some manure as well.

And this fall, collect up some leaves (mulch maple and other large leaves) and spread them over the garden (I also dig trenches and bury them) and add some manure or grass clippings over the top of the leaves. I actually do several layers, alternating the leaf type and the green (Manure, use coffee grinds, grass clippings and other stuff, ending with manure.)

You'll be amazed with the results. (Don't get upset if some of the leaves are not composted in the spring, they will be by mid summer.)

(And be happy when you find a myriad of worms, grubs and other animals and not to mention fungi in your soil.)