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Garden soil & potting soil |
Start with sandy garden soil
Garden soil is enriched dirt used to grow
vegetables. You first have to understand organic gardening to accomplish
this. Best books are by
Eliot Coleman. Once you have healthy
garden soil, with lots of humus from organic compost, you have what is
called "sandy loam." Again, refer to an Eliot Coleman book to learn
about these terms and concepts. The point is that soil is comprised of
minerals (dirt), humus (decayed organic matter) and sand. The mineral
portion is often in the form of clay that has to be balanced with sand.
Without sand clay soil will compact, closing off drainage, aeration, and
making root growth difficult. Humus is essential for roots to feed on
nutrients. It "mediates ion exchange." |
Growing in containers is different than growing
in the earth
The soil at right, in the wheelbarrow, is sandy garden soil. But if you
are going to grow in containers you need potting soil that has a lighter
texture with much more drainage. Perlite is mixed in 50/50 for this
reason. |
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Screen & mix soil + Perlite
The wheelbarrow of garden soil is already screened to 1/2". Then it is
screened to 1/4" in a 50—50 mix with Perlite. You may buy Perlite in
4
cubic foot bags at a garden store (Orchard Supply in California) for about $11.
Yeah, its cheap! More about Perlite:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perlite |
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