Successful homesteading relies heavily on effective plant care. A thriving garden is essential for self-sufficiency.
When we bought our 50 acres of totally undeveloped land 4 years ago, little did I know about how good my garden soil was at the former homestead. The new land was totally wooded with very little grass due to the thick vegetation. When we cleared some of it, I decided it was time to plant a garden. I figured that since this was raw land, surely the soil would be fine. Nope. I planted without testing. Lesson number one – test your soil. It’s easy and knowledge is powerful. I planted like I normally did from year to year. Everything grew to a certain point and then I noticed that my plants seemed stunted in growth. I lost interest because of all the other responsibilities that came with living on 50 acres and let my garden go. It wasn’t until a couple years after moving out there that I had realized just how acidic our soil was. We live where a lot of pine trees are so I guess that was the problem. No matter how good your soil may be, if it’s too acidic or too alkaline, your plants will not be able to absorb the nutrients it needs to grow and produce. So now the question is, how do you make your soil less acidic? For soil that is acidic, we tend to add lime. Granulated is cheaper and is easier to spread, but it is more slow acting. Powdered lime is faster, but more expensive. For alkaline soil, add sulfur. I’ve never had a problem with alkaline soil so I’ve never had to add sulfur. Once your pH is good, then you can test and adjust the levels for nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K). These are what most bags of fertilizers go by. Nitrogen is needed for lush green growth, phosphorus is needed to establish and build the roots and help with flowering. Potassium helps boost the health of the plant. Is a garden really this difficult? No. Just plan and learn in advance what the end goal is. Just want a few fresh tomatoes or do you want to preserve loads of them for over the winter? Just decide what you are wanting from your garden and see if you can make your garden reach your goals!