Hi
I live in Queensland, Australia. I built some raised vege gardens a couple of years ago. We have fairly acid soil, so I added dolomite, and also several large bags of an organic compost/fertiliser mix (can't remember exactly what it was, but research indicated that it was ideal for veges).
I planted several seedlings including several types of tomatoes, sweet corn, herbs, etc. Many years ago I had a vege garden in the same spot and had wonderful success with the same plants. This time I was very disappointed with little or no yields.
I am currently waiting for a new large compost heap to do it's thing before adding it to the plots. Hopefully I will have better result once I add the compost.
Any help to get a better result would be greatly appreciated. Thanks
One thing I have noticed in my vege plots is that you can fully soak the ground, but scratch the surface and it's powder dry 20mm (3/4") below the surface. The soil is not heavy, and is fairly sandy.
How can I improve it's wetability? (Is that a word? )
Hi
When my compost is ready, I was planning on adding a thick layer (150mm/6" min.) to all the beds and dig or fork it in. In building my compost, I added a fair bit of soil from my vege plots, lowering the level of the plots so that I will have plenty of room to add the compost. Hopefully this should improve the tilth of the soil. Once I plant, I will add mulch to keep the moisture in. Not too sure what to mulch with yet. Grass clipping will be readily available, so long as they don't rob the soil of too much nitrogen.
When my compost is ready, I was planning on adding a thick layer (150mm/6" min.) to all the beds and dig or fork it in. In building my compost, I added a fair bit of soil from my vege plots, lowering the level of the plots so that I will have plenty of room to add the compost. Hopefully this should improve the tilth of the soil. Once I plant, I will add mulch to keep the moisture in. Not too sure what to mulch with yet. Grass clipping will be readily available, so long as they don't rob the soil of too much nitrogen.