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| Hi all. I have been sheet composting my garden for 3 years now adding close to 2 feet of grass clippings and leaves each year. As expected it compresses as it decomposes and leaves a beautiful planting area each year. I use no fertilizers at all. The earthworms have nicely taken up residence in my plot and are helping in the decomposition very nicely. The problem is that I seem to get plants that are huge and have lots of foliage but not a lot of fruit. And the fruits that I get are either small or mis shapen. I have 13 cucumber plants but not many cucumbers. And most seem to be odd shaped like they grew deformed. My tomatoes are 9 feet tall(I trellised them) but I do not get nearly as much fruit as I would expect. My hot peppers are supposed to be 3 inch fruits and crazy hot, but what I have are fruits less than an inch long and I can pretty much eat them like candy. Not very hot. So am I just having a bad year or am I sheet composting wrong? Am I supposed to be adding some component? |
Follow-Up Postings:
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| Sounds like too much nitrogen which is very good for vegetative growth but not needed as much during fruiting. I am new to this whole compost & veggies thing though, so we will see what the pros say. |
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- Posted by toxcrusadr (My Page) on Thu, Aug 9, 12 at 16:04
| Agreed on the nitrogen. Grass clippings are high in N so that makes sense. Lack of fruiting (or blooming) can also indicate a deficiency of phosphorus in the soil. Have you done any soil tests, before or after the 3 yrs. of adding organic matter? If not I would suggest that. Hopefully you have an ag extension program where you can get soil samples analyzed inexpensively. Well worth it especially if you are having problems, and it's the only way to really know what you should be adding. Misshapen fruit, I don't know. Do you use any weed killers on your lawn? |
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| I agree with above posts. Soil test & balance essential elements. |
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| You do need a good, reliable soil test for soil pH as well as nutrient levels. You might also want to think about doing these simple soil tests, 1) Structure. 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. 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 drains� 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. |
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