Lets start with the basics. How did you collect the sample you sent in?

tj

Thanks for the responses! Here are some answers to the questions asked...

1) To collect the sample I dug down about 6" (in four different raised beds). I mixed it all together, picked out little sticks and rocks, spread it on newspaper and let it dry (with a fan on low) for a couple of days. Then I sent in a one cup sample.

2) As far as how the garden did last year... Very mixed. The strangest thing, and what I think would be mostly likely a symptom of the nutrient issue, was that kale leaves, sunflower leaves and some perennial leaves turned reddish purple. Each thing started off fine but eventually turned reddish. I've attached pictures. Other than that, I had a pretty decent tomato crop, awesome arugula if I picked it quickly, very good beans and peas, carrots were good, marigolds and nasturtiums were great... Not so good...winter and summer squash, melons and beets. The squash had one flower and the melons flowered but either didn't produce fruit or produced teeny tiny melons (like 2"!!). I would say that other than tomatoes, the longer it was in, the worse it did.

3) Compost... I think I should have led with this...I used mostly compost to fill the beds. I had heard it was a really good source and I could basically just fill the beds with this compost but...as I should have known, that was not a good idea. I don't know if I should try to remove some or some not add more.

4) Nitrogen...As far as Nitrogen, I was going to add blood meal, which is basically just Nitrogen I think.

One more thing... I planted winter rye. Should I just remove it rather than turn it into the soil???

Thanks!!!

The compost is probably the culprit for the high levels. It is somewhat notorious for dumping excessive amounts of P&K into the soil. You need real mineral soil as the primary ingredient - plain old garden "dirt" - with any added compost amounting to no more than 25% of the mix.

The reddish leaves are puzzling. That is typically a symptom of a phosphorus difficiency, which according to the test, you do not have. But cool, wet growing conditions can also have that effect. That could also explain issues with the squash and melons.

By all means cut and till in the winter rye. But keep the blood meal handy just in case :-)

Oops. I forgot to put in the pictures of the red/purple leaves.

Basically, do nothing.

Spray with copper soap fungicide. Or if you want to live dangerously, drench with very dilute ( 3 grams in 5 gallon bucket) copper sulfate. Note: three grams not three ounces. The copper fungicide soap counts as organic, I think.

ph is fine. phosphorus is reasonable, and those other things will crop out or leach out readily, with the exception of Manganese, which I suspect is still not at lethal levels.

Any other additions of nutrients should be N only, if that. this is a post wet winter number. You may have had some truly hair-raising numbers last growing season.

Curious about the big Magnesium number. Just between you me and the internet, you aren’t one of those people dumping Eprom salt on everything are you?

just a thought ... when i see damage on lower leaves ... i wonder how you water.. and whether soil is getting splashed on the lower leaves.. somehow affecting them ...

just for the heck of it.. do you have any pix of the whole bed in bloom ... just wondering if we could get a flavor of the whole ... and maybe see something ...

ken

Thanks everyone for your input!

If/when your beds sink because the compost is continuing to break down, refill with topsoil instead of compost. All in all I think you're doing OK and this year may be better than last (if your beds were new last year).

Lawn fertilizer is a good N source with little else (usually 29-3-3 or so). Or urea which is XX-0-0, nitrogen only. Just don't use weed-n-feed, the herbicides will kill your vegetables!