I am gonna need a bunch of soil this year, what do you recommend?

[dice]

[crusher dust]

It is insoluble in water and takes years to break down in the soil.

Earthworms like it though, particularly in compost. Compost with
granite dust mixed in was found to have 30% higher earthworm
populations per volume than the same compostable materials
without the granite dust in an ancient study from the 1930s. (I no
longer have the book, so I cannot look up how much granite dust
they used per how much compostable material. IIRC they were
composting agricultural waste in long windrows in the study.)

If I had a big pile of rock dust, I would simply scatter handfuls
whenever I added stuff to the compost pile and mix it in with
a pitchfork, and maybe scatter it over organic matter that I was
amending garden beds with.

edit:
PS: If you can get pumice or lava rock screened fine enough
to suit your specifications, you avoid any doubt about getting
ground up construction demolition waste instead of mined
natural rock. (They probably are not giving this away
for free, though.)

[z_willus_d]

Richard, a way forward (not that there weren't other paths) is starting to materialize.

At some point, I think all of us would love to hear a little more of your experience growing tomatoes in southern California. Is it for love or just business? What other approaches have you used to soil building, and their results, which have led you to your current approach. What types of tomatoes have you focused on, what are your preferences, and how do you rate the various results -- taste, appearance, longevity, etc.? I ask these questions to try and get a better sense of your perspective. It's clear you've come from a more professional quarter and the amount of knowledge you've provided based on your experience is very much appreciated. I'd like to know what this means to you personally. Of course, you're not obliged to answer. In any case, glad to have you contributing on the forums.

Thanks for pointing me in the right direction.
-naysen

[Hermitian]

Originally Posted by dice

[crusher dust]
Earthworms like it though, particularly in compost. ...

I would concur with that, one of the best worm-casting farms I have visited utilizes trenches in decomposed granite.

For a soil (plants in the ground) the best thing that can be done for earthworms is to put a 3 to 5 inch layer of 1-inch diameter mulch on top of the soil. This keeps the surface of the soil under the mulch from completely drying out so the native (and imported) worms will come "up from the deep" and work the near-surface soil.

The greenery facilities in CA have to comply with state law and are inspected. They do such a great job of producing quality compost that for people in driving distance there is no practical reason to make your own compost.

[Hermitian]

Originally Posted by z_willus_d

... At some point, I think all of us would love to hear a little more ...

One way to keep track of someone's posts is to go to their Profile (by clicking on their name) and then selecting "find more posts" or "find all threads started by". There's a lot of great Tomatovillians here, so check 'em out!

As for my own saga, with some prodding the details will slowly emerge over here: Fruit maniac.

Thanks for your kind words ...

[z_willus_d]

Richard, thanks for the pointer. It was fun to scan through that list of yours.

Have a nice day.
-naysen

[RobinB]

We make our own compost, but usually don't have enough and end up buying some to have enough. I always make sure that it is organic compost. There is a facility down in Carson City that is all organic and you can buy it up here in Reno. Don't you need to make sure that the compost you buy has not come from plants that were sprayed with chemicals/pesticides? It seems that I heard somewhere that people around here (Reno area) were having troubles with their plants dying because the compost they bought was made partially with grass and other plants that had been treated in some way with chemicals. I don't know if it's a problem elsewhere, but I got scared and now only buy organic... What do you guys think?

[Hermitian]

Originally Posted by RobinB

We make our own compost, but usually don't have enough and end up buying some to have enough. I always make sure that it is organic compost.

Compost from an unlicensed facility might not be properly cured and therefore have problems with chemical residues that have not been broken down.

If the compost has been cured properly and the facility advertises "USDA Certified Organic" then you can be sure that the residues are extremely low. "Organic" by itself is a marketing term that has no legally binding meaning.

[RobinB]

I guess the bottom line is, know what is in your compost and where it came from. Buying directly from a facility that is local to you is probably the best. Buying bags of "compost" from a big box type store is possibly asking for trouble...

[dice]

Compost that people have reported problems with may be
contaminated with clopyralid or aminopyralid:
http://watoxics.org/healthy-living/h...zer#pesticides
(The composting process does not break these chemicals down
efficiently.)

A comment on crusher dust (rock dust): the size is ok
for garden beds, where soil aggregration by fungi will combine
rock dust, clay, silt, and so on into larger particles called "peds",
thus restoring air space to the soil. Mulching helps protect the
peds from being crushed into airless mud by rainfall, foot traffic,
and so on. In a container, however, this process does not happen.
Fine rock dust in container mix will fill air spaces that are better
left filled with air.

So for container use, I would take a pile of rock dust and screen it
with a fine screen (like window screen) that lets anything smaller
than a BB fall through, then only use the big stuff that remains in
my containers. The fine stuff that falls through the screen can be
mixed with compost, scattered over leaf mold added to a garden bed,
spread on a lawn with a lawn spreader, etc.

[z_willus_d]

Hello,

I started a thread that's riffing off of what I read and learned in this thread. I'd appreciate it if folks in the know commiserating about here might take a moment to review my thread (below) and provide feedback on my soil-buiding plan, which I begin to implement today. I'm hoping to finish by the end of this 3-day weekend. I have MLK day, Monday, to make it three.

Thanks!
Naysen

http://www.tomatoville.com/showthrea...861#post248861

[attml]

If your area offers a product like Leaf Grow http://www.menv.com/leafgro.shtml try to get something like that vs top soil. I got bulk top soil from my local farmers co-op last year(2 Pickup trucks worth)and it was not very good quality. It had a lot of debris mixed in and it looked like it had been dug up as part of a home building foundation construction project.

[z_willus_d]

I've never run across leafgro here, that I know of here at least. I just dropped $30 for a cubic yard of finely composted forest humus. I think it should be a similar "conditioner" for the inorganic peat and sand and perlite I have loaded up on.

Thanks,
Naysen

[bubblemama]

Originally Posted by Hermitian

FOR TOMATOES and other annuals, the mix is too dense for fast root growth. To compensate I add more Perlite or similar such as 1/4-inch pumice. This looks like:

Quantity -- Substance
2 -- Fine-grained Composted Greens
2 -- Sphagnum Peat Moss
1 -- Horticultural Sand (3/16 screened gravel)
3 -- Perlite #3 or similar
trace -- Fresh Worm Castings

I also shake a minor amount of mycorrhizae powder on the roots when transplanting. No need to go crazy with it -- a teaspoon is plenty for a 3 cubic foot bareroot rootball.

Hermitian, would you use this mix in Smartpots (fabric containers) sitting on bare earth (sort of like a raised bed)? I'm looking for a mix that would do well (drain well but not dry out fast) in HOT San Fernando Valley.

Also, by "composted greens", do you mean bark fines or actual compost or that composted stuff the city sets out for free around town?