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formerly RGG

I have struggled to grow a big melon the past few years. I have added literally tons of coffee grounds and other amendments to a soil that began as almost pure hard clay. The consistency of my soil has changed tremendously. My garden dirt is almost black and has a good tilth to it for nearly a foot down. I have read many good things about coffee grounds and figured they would be pretty much a cure all along with a few other amendments that I added. But after struggling mightily last year, I finally broke down and sent a soil sample to A & L Labs. Mark Clementz volunteered to help me "read" the analysis and ended up sending it to one of the better known giant pumpkin growers, Larry Checkon. This is what Larry had to say about my soil after he looked at the analysis:

"That is about the worst looking soil I have seen in a long time. I would not worry about the pH though. First of all the soil should get about a 6" layer of well rotted manure or mushroom manure. (Too late for fresh this year) I would also add around 150 lbs. of gypsum per 1000 sq. ft. It will also need additional K and P. Maybe greensand and bonemeal. I would also add some 0-0-60 to get the K up quickly. About 10 lbs. per 1K should do it. It will also need additional micros. I would use Ironite if not using it for things you are going to eat. The manure should bring the pH up to about where you want it. The soil should be tested again in the fall to see what effect the amendments have had.

Larry"

2/29/2012 7:59:37 PM

formerly RGG

So coffee grounds may have their place in soil enrichment; but if you want to grow giant vegetables please don't think you can depend on them too much. The main thing I have learned is that a gardener should not try to guess how to make a great soil. It takes a lot of effort to get our soil in the right condition to grow prize winning melons and pumpkins and for the small price of a soil analysis, a grower may be able to avoid what could be years of frustration wondering what they have been doing wrong. So any of you growers who have not considered a soil analysis, please, please,please do yourself a favor and spend a few dollars to find out what your soil may be lacking. I guarantee you will have no regrets. It now looks like I may be in for another season of struggle. But I have added a fair amount of horse manure and met some other recommendations; so maybe a can at least get a new personal best. I just wish I had had the analysis done last fall so I would have had more time to react to it.

2/29/2012 7:59:50 PM

formerly RGG

I am still collecting coffee grounds as I am sure they will not harm my soil. But I will look to gathering and spreading manures on my garden,frequent soil analysis,and reacting to these analysis by applying whatever amendments are recommended. I guess I am a slow learner in my old age; but at least I have learned that guessing what a soil may need usually doesn't work.

2/29/2012 8:06:17 PM

Muddy Waters

Thats alright Dennis your on the right track now.You will turn this around & be in the top ten before you know it.Always keep an open mind & ask for help.With all the constant changes its a must.

2/29/2012 8:13:38 PM

Lexington, Ky

Think the coffee grounds might be turning your soil black?! LOL. Too much of any one thing might be bad and yes you can over apply coffee grounds. I think of coffee grounds as worm food only, I don't rely on it as a major amendment. I get my grounds from Starbucks and man they make my garden smell good for a day or too.

3/1/2012 7:31:29 AM

Muddy Waters

Yes.Too much of anything can be toxic,Thats why we soil test to get a good balance.Growing without a soil test is like driving without a map,you might get lucky & get there,but doubtful.

3/1/2012 8:22:46 AM

Corbin, KY

With out a soil test before coffee grounds how do you know "they are not so good"? I really think most organic matter we add to our soil would be much better off composted before use.

3/1/2012 10:39:07 AM

Baker City Oregon

Worms are friends, not food!

3/1/2012 2:51:38 PM

Muddy Waters

Exactly Tim! 2 years minimum

3/1/2012 3:34:56 PM

Alabama

Dennis, don't try suck starting the 9mm pistol just yet! Get the gypsum (calcium) in the soil ASAP it will break down in a couple of weeks. Get the NPK right, the fertilizer will break down rapidly also. Get a couple hundred ponuds of oyster shell and that should solve the calcium problem long term.

I have three mulch piles, the working, cooking and ready pile. These are not typical mulch piles they are about 15X10ft and as high as I can get them. The mulch from the ready pile I just tilled in was four years old. Mulch your coffee grounds with other organic matter, grass clippings or cotton gin trash will really get it cooking.

This is nothing you can't overcome, best of luck!

3/1/2012 9:17:58 PM

Colorado

My wife works at starbucks (strickly for medical insurance for the the family, shes not addicted to coffee) so I can get all the grounds I want but............ I was told by a friend that I should limit how much I put on my soil and instead make a worm Castle and have the worms make an even better ammendment.
just my thoughts.

3/1/2012 9:43:50 PM

formerly RGG

I certainly agree with aging my compost more before adding it to my soil. I am looking around for more aged horse manure to add ASAP. I will also be getting a load or two of mushroom compost from Monterey Mushrooms. Cliff, can you tell me where to purchase the ground oyster shells ? I will also be adding a few hundred pounds of gypsum.I will compost my coffee grounds more in the future but they have certainly given my soil good tilth and I am seeing an ever increasing number of worms in my garden and I know they are very beneficial. So I have no regrets about the coffee grounds I have already added.I think my next soil test will show significant improvement. Anyway, since I grew a 207 and a 204 in very poor soil, I think I will be able to do much better with greatly improved soil and with the grafted plants I am in the process of acquiring. It's going to be a very interesting year. Thanks for all the input everyone.

3/1/2012 10:26:41 PM

Alabama

Dennis, you have a couple of options, you can pick up oyster shell chicken feed at your local farm store. You could also use oyster shell slivers, they are about the size of a penny and will break down really slow, you can find them at the farmers COOP also.

To get out on the cheap you can collect mussel shells at a river and bust them up with a hammer. There are a few places here in North Alabama on the TN River where the mussel shells are several feet thick along the banks.

3/1/2012 11:05:08 PM

Muddy Waters

Dont feel bad Dennis your not the first person to grow on deleted soil.I will let you in on a little secret.one of the Top ten this year was grown on deleted soil.Yes its true!He must of been pouring the fertz to it,but he did it.Use Aragomite for calcium about 15$ a bag for 30 or 40 pds(big Bag).I will be spreading a few bags myself,I compost everything 2 years,except Alpaca poo 6 months to was urine off.Good Luck! You can hit 300 this year,Just dont over do it.

3/2/2012 7:20:12 AM

Muddy Waters

wash urine off.

3/2/2012 7:21:02 AM

Bethlehem CT

Dennis I just saw your soil test. I would rather see a test like yours than one that was showing extremely high levels of nutrients. It is like a blank slate that you have to work with. And because you are low in most everything, you are not limited to ammendments that you can use. ( the only thing I wouldn't want to go up would be your magnesium. So stay away from the dolomite lime.) If you can go 200+ with untested soil, imagine what you can do once it is tuned up!

3/2/2012 10:50:55 AM

Bowdon, GA

I used feed grade lime to balance my soil last year. the magnesium was high calcium low. Some cow feed lime doesn't have magnesium just calcium. You just have to make sure it doesn't have salts added. Once it is balanced you can use regular lime.

3/2/2012 12:03:18 PM

Jamul

Dennis,
How many grafted plants and how many regular ones are you thinking about growing?

3/2/2012 1:08:36 PM

formerly RGG

I may grow all grafted plants. I sent Nathan my best seeds including three 255 Mitchells. If I get enough healthy looking grafts then I may just go all in with them. I will have backups ready in case there are any problems. It is a work in progress.

3/2/2012 8:07:06 PM