permaculture

[Marimike6@cs.com]

Paul's sad situation:

>We've had quite a few soil tests done and have not seen anything too scary. 
Low boron and low nitrogen. Organic matter of 2% to 5%. Most of the soils 
look 
like gravel. 

Paul- I'm so far from being an expert it's not funny. But your low 
nitrogen-high drainage soils sound so much like mine I'll hazard a suggestion.

My guess is that most crops don't readily take in your field because the 
rainwater doesn't even slow down in the gravel. It doesn't hit bottom until 
it 
reaches the water table. Your seedlings half get started, then expire from 
drought the first breezy afternoon.

Any absorbent, bulky material you can find to leaven your field of rocks will 
help retain water. Organic materials are easily the best. Depending on price, 
hay might be better than peat. Peat's pricey. If you buy hay, be sure to feed 
it through a chipper-shredder one time to turn it into powder. Then till the 
powder in (one pass is fine) so it mixes with the grit. If you have a lot of 
leaves, shred them too and spread them on your field before tilling. This 
method is labor intensive, but will retain your water much better.

And the longer the water stays in the soil, the less your nutrients will 
leach away. So it's a win-win. But you'll find your soil's appetite for 
amendments 
is bottomless. A truckload of chaff will disappear in a twinkling.

For small areas like flower beds, I save coffee grounds. Nothing improves a 
thin, gritty soil better. Cow and horse manure's good too, but be sure it is 
aged, not fresh. The fresh stuff is a little sharp tasting for your crops.

Last ditch suggestion: see whether your local municipality has any leftover 
mulch. Parks and Recreation often chips up the trees they prune or get rid of 
and then has no place to put the chips. A truckload of this stuff put through 
the shredder a second time will do the same job. If you have a choice, 
hardwood 
mulch is nutritious. Pine mulch isn't.

Best wishes on your adventure in the dirt!