Healthy soil and sustainable growing

[Alan Whitaker <alan@dunbrokeus.com>]

Laura McKenzie wrote:

>   What other sources of phosphate would you use? I'm more than leery of 
> bone meal because of prions.  Composting doesn't kill prions as far as I can 
> tell from what I've read.  I've always been organic and don't want to do 
> anything but. The soil tested very low for phosphate on the undeveloped 
> parts of our land.
>  
If you have access to layer-house litter, that will add phosphate and 
calcium.  Plus it's a cheap nitrogen source.  If you can't find layer  
litter,
then broiler litter will start to increase phosphate levels.  We use 
tons of the stuff down here in south AL.  We have a sandy loam and I 
will sometimes
put 6-7 tons to the acre.  Grew the best tasting and largest collards, 
cabbage, mustard and turnips this winter putting 6 ton to the acre. I'll 
soil test this fall
between crops to see where my ph, CEC and phosphate levels are at.

>   Gardening in New Mexico was SO much easier!
>  

I came to AL from NM also and I can say that it is very challenging here.

Alan Whitaker