west virginia coal...

[dwlcrl]

ok got a hard question.....

hey... i have problems with soil at my moms -
it is like all coal...
good dirt up to about 12-16 inches deep then it is like solid coal for another 8 inches or so....
i plow the garden up very well - twice a year- then each hole for each plant gets dug individually about 20 inches deep and round...
and the good part of the dirt goes around the plant and then i put the fence i rolled up around the plant and use the bad soil to hold the cage down...
but was wondering what effects the coal might have on them...
possibly hold the moisture under it...

if anyone knows anything i would appreciate any comment ....

thx again david.....

[Suze]

David -- do raised beds. That's what I would do, anyway.

[Dunkel]

I have coal in my soil and I grow lots of veggies. I don't have a layer of it, but it's mixed in, so I can't answer the drainage question for you. I have made raised beds too only because my soil, while rich is full of rocks.

[dwlcrl]

they have always done fairly well..
i was just trying to concider the coal as a point of interest in it not being productive enough or being toxic?
i was counting on you there dunkel..... lol...
thx again for any comment...

still wondering if there is anything towards the plant itself if it helps or hinders its production...
i guess it wont give me black lung anyways...

[dwlcrl]

is there anything in coal that help or hurts plant growth ?
i have never had any real problems with my tomatoes...
just this year doing so many heirlooms i didnt want to lose any of them but so far they are doing well...

if anyone knows where any type of this kind of research has been done?

i have about 80 or so in this location....
raised beds sounds good but getting this amount of dirt is out of the question.. (pretty big area for that)

thx again david