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["Lynn Wigglesworth" <lynnw1366 AT hotmail.com>]

My soil is, I think, like yours. It's very fertile; sod grows thick and 
strong and is difficult to get rid of in the garden. Pastures are the 
obvious best use of this soil; I've never watered or fertilized my pastures 
(limed once, 10 years ago), and they are very productive and lush. Even now, 
after years of  cultivation, if I leave a garden bed alone for a year, it 
can't be distinguished from the lawn. My soil has a large clay component. It 
sits cold and wet until I get tons of organic matter into it to loosen it 
up. Once I've gotten organic matter deep into it, and gotten the rocks out, 
it's wonderful to work with.

Lynn Wigglesworth
Tioga Co. PA
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Frank Fries" <frank.fries AT imagewireless.ca>
To: <homestead AT lists.ibiblio.org>
Sent: Saturday, January 24, 2009 2:13 PM
Subject: [Homestead] Soil and fertility


> There have been a number of comments that suggest that some of you live in
> areas where the soil is not very fertile.  I think it was James who
> mentioned in a reply to Ivy, that it would take a number of years to get 
> the
> soil built up to bring a garden up to production.
>
> In my area, if you break some land (break up the sod/grass), the soil is
> fertile.  You will just have to work to keep the grass from taking the 
> land
> back for the first couple of years.  To maintain the fertility over time 
> you
> do need to keep putting back the nutrients you use (keep adding organic
> matter back).
>
> I know that in some areas, that initial fertility is not a "gimme".
>
> Have any of you read anything on the internet about "terra preta" soils ?
>
> These were soils discovered in man made patches in S.America, that are
> dramatically more fertile than the areas around them.   They were created
> thousands of years ago and remain fertile now.  Some soil scientists are
> formally studying this and many "amateurs" are experimenting with trying 
> to
> recreate the same thing.  It appears that the reason it works "may" be
> related to the beneficial environment created for soil micro-organisms (or
> maybe not).
>
> You may find it quite interesting - if interested do a quick google.
>
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