huge plants no roots

[mollyolive]

Moved into a new house last year and after a growing season of huge plants(radish greens were over 2 feet, tomato plants over 6 feet)but I was surprised by the lack of veggie. No radishes where produced dispite the huge plant, same problem with my carrots. Even the amount of tomatos that where produced was lack luster. I'm assuming the soil is lacking something...but what? I don't think I can survive another season of no veg for my efforts.

[DoubleDogFarm]

I agree with Marlingardener and will add, the application of Green sand and or Azomite for trace minerals / elements.

Eric

[johnny123]

Before you go crazy with quick fixes take a soil sample to your local cooperative extension and see what they say about it.
They can help you.
That is what they do.

[mollyolive]

thanks everyone! Question: there was a suggestion of taking my soil into a cooperative...who? I live in northern Alberta and we don't have much for resources like a larger center.

[jal_ut]

A note about radishes. Plant seed and place the seed 2 inches apart. Full sun and keep them damp. They make the root early while the leaves are just a floret. If they start to send up a spike, they will never make a root.

I don't have much to say about tomatoes. I have never figured them out. Best run over to the farmer's market and buy one.

[cynthia_h]

In the U.S., most counties have an agricultural extension office which is organizationally bound to the state university whose responsibilities cover agricultural research. I don't know how the system works in Canada; is there a university/college in Alberta which performs such research?

The provincial government *might* have local services like this, but I'm truly unfamiliar with such specifics of living in Canada; I've only visited your beautiful country.

Cynthia H.
Sunset Zone 17, USDA Zone 9

[mollyolive]

oddly enough I teach at the local College so I will wonder down to environmental sciences and see if they can help me. Thanks. Sadly we do not have a farmers market otherwise I would be wondering down there to get what I can't grow. I don't think there is a farm within 400km of here.

[garden5]

Molly, if the environmental sciences dept. can't help you, there are soil testing kits available at big box stores, and on the internet. Get the simplest one you can find--you don't need to measure trace elements at this stage!
If all else fails, just and lots and lots of compost. And plant lettuce, swiss chard, and other leafy greens. They'll like the excess of nitrogen!

That pretty much sums it up. Unless you have something majorly wrong, there's not much in the way of nutrient-problems that good compost can't fix