Hi folks, I am a newbie to the group and to permaculture.
I just started a project (still at the thinking and planning stage) in
the mid-Atlantic US for a sloping parcel with a plan for pasture at the
flat top, fruit trees on the slope, and vegetables on the fertile bottom.
My overriding issue is the inherent acidity of the soil. Can I spread
crushed oyster shell (sold for chicken feed) on the land for a
long-lasting solution. I am looking for longevity, because I do not want
to be spreading lime every 2-3 years.
In colonial New England, they used crushed oyster shells to sweeten the
soil. The bigger fragments of shells are still there in old fields,
slowly leaching away, so I know this is potentially a long term solution.
However, I do not know how to calculate the correct amount of crushed
shell to apply given pH, and area. Do I need other soil quality parameters?