Vegetables Gardening - Growing Organic Vegetables

hello, I have just started my Mittleider beds and have LOTS of questions if you could indulge me with answers??? I have the book series, but have only been able to find books 2 & 3, I have also read some info online..yet I feel as though I am lacking. I have tried to keep my garden organic, so..

1.the fertilizer--(Pot.sulf; super sulf; ammon sulf; etc) (a)is that supposed to be spread put on the beds every week during the growing season? (b) at the same application rate or more or less?

2. the boric acid--the person at our extension office said to use the boric acid used to kill roaches...is that true? if it is poison for roaches is it harmful to humans?

3. If I have 5 other beds (approx 2.5'x15') that are a mixture of potting soil, local soil and compost. Could I just add some of the "soil" mixture of choice (I ended up using perlite and peat)to those beds as well as the fertilizer, mixing well and call it good or do I need to remove that soil and start from scratch? (the ingred. are expensive--I paid about $40.00 for one bed).

4. I live in southern Arkansas, and the heat is a killer, do I need to keep the soil damp (considering my soil of choice), or use shade cloth?

Well I have more questions, but thought I'd start with this. thx for ya'lls time. Juleeque

Juleeque & Group:

The Garden Doctor 3 volume set covers nutrient deficiencies and corrective treatments, but does NOT cover growing procedures and general gardening topics.

The fertilizer consists of two separate parts - Pre-Plant and Weekly Feed, and they are used as follows:

Pre-Plant is mixed with the soil BEFORE planting at the rate of 1 ounce per running foot of 18"-wide bed or box. A second application is added to ever-bearing crops such as tomatoes in early July.

Weekly Feed is applied BEFORE planting, along with Pre-Plant, at the rate of 1/2 ounce per running foot. At plant emergence or 3 days after transplanting WF is applied once every 7 days until 3 weeks before plant maturity (beginning of harvest) for single crop varieties, and until 8 weeks before expected killing frost for ever-bearing crops.

Many things are toxic at one application rate while being beneficial - and even essential - at another rate (copper comes to mind as another example). Even table salt will kill you if ingested in large quantities. Boron is an essential element for plant growth, as is copper, and the amounts used in the PP & WF mixes are extremely small, so that there is no concern over their toxicity.

You may suit yourself regarding your soil mixture. The native soil in your current beds is heavy, doesn't drain well, it and the compost may contain weed seeds and/or diseases, etc., but by adding the items you mention you certainly improve it. The cost of peat moss and perlite is a big reason we recommend sawdust and sand (sand also improves drainage). Ground-up pine needles also work well.

Dealing with the heat is a challenge in many places. No matter where you live it is essential to keep the soil at the root zone of your plants moist at all times. Beyond that, when daytime temperatures go into the high 90's and above some shading during the hottest part of the day may be necessary. I recommend 25-30%.

Jim Kennard

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