Mostly Plants

Yesterday I took possession of a Cornell garden plot out at Plantations, just south of the Dyce bee labs.  I got some Brussels Sprout seedlings from Home Depot and put them straight in the ground, and staked out my plot with dead limbs from the forest that other gardeners have used in the past (I can tell because they’re sharpened).  Right after I left the skies opened and dropped a centimeter of rain on Ithaca!

Because I’m a big nerd, I also picked up a soil sample at the garden and brought it home to my soil test kit, which told me that it’s good on Potassium, and Phosphorus, but low on Nitrogen.  It also tested VERY  alkaline (pH 8.0).  I thought at first that the result was just confounded by alkaline tap water, but my tap water came up at between pH 6 and 7.  Time to take samples from a wider area of the garden, and if they’re all this alkaline, to spread some Melanterite (FeSO4*7H20).  Or maybe just manure.  The internet tells me that manure is generally neutral and buffered, so maybe that would do?  Does anybody have experience with alkalne soil and could make a recommendation?

Other vegetables in the pipeline: I’ve got two jalapeños, six habaneros, and six bell peppers growing as seedlings on my roof.  I’ve got a potato plant that’s doing quite well, five tomato seedlings, and just yesterday seeded basil, oregano, and summer squash.  I have seeds for radish, spinach, and broccoli to go straight into the ground.

Peppers in front, seeds back right, potato back left.

Today’s project: work five gallons of Cayuga Compost and some manure into the soil, and install my rain gauge.  Plant radishes, spinach, and broccoli.