Extension Master GardenerSM Volunteers of Buncombe County

garden planning

Soil Tests: What They Tell You and What They Don’t!

“Have you done a soil test?” is one of the first questions Extension Master Gardeners ask if you’re starting a new gardening project. Do you know what a soil test can tell you—and what it can’t?

Soil Test Box and Sample Information Sheet

Useful information from soil tests:

  • Nutrients your plants need to grow
    • Primary macronutrients: Nitrogen (N), Phosphorus (P), and Potassium (K)
    • Secondary macronutrients: Calcium (Ca), Magnesium (Mg), and Sulfur (S)
    • Minor nutrients: boron, chlorine, copper, iron, manganese, molybdenum, nickel, and zinc
  • Soil acidity level (pH)

Your soil test will tell you the amount and type of fertilizer to use to provide the nutrients your plants need and how to adjust the soil pH to the appropriate level. It can also tell you if you have too much of certain nutrients! Overfertilizing can be as detrimental to your plants’ growth as too little fertilizer.

 Your soil test won’t tell you if you have:

  • Poorly structured soils
    • Plants may have difficulty getting established on sites where topsoil was stripped away, or soil layers were disturbed and/or compacted during construction.
    • Heavy clay soils, in particular, are difficult for roots to penetrate.
  • Too much or too little soil moisture
    • Poorly drained soils may prevent plant roots from getting enough oxygen.
    • Drought or fast-draining soils may lead to root damage/death from too little soil moisture.
    • Watering too frequently or not deeply enough can create moisture problems for plants in good soils.
  • Plant competition
    • Shallow tree roots or the roots of plants spaced too closely may compete for soil nutrients.
    • Allelopathic plants—such as walnut trees—may act as herbicides and keep nearby plants from thriving.
    • Shade from other plants may inhibit growth of sun-lovers.

So, knowing the proper nutrients and soil pH is a start, but having your plants thrive means making sure your soil has appropriate soil structure and moisture, and providing them with appropriate space and plant companions.

Article by Debbie Green Buncombe County Extension Master GardenerSM Volunteer

For more information:

 Soil testing in North Carolina:

https://content.ces.ncsu.edu/extension-gardener-handbook/1-soils-and-plant-nutrients#section_heading_7241

 “What a Soil Test Does Not Tell You” (scroll down to last article in this newsletter):

https://hnr.k-state.edu/extension/info-center/newsletters/2018/Feb20_2018_7.pdf

Allelopathy in walnut trees:

https://www.pubs.ext.vt.edu/content/dam/pubs_ext_vt_edu/430/430-021/430-021_pdf.pdf

 

 

 

Warm Season Vegetables: Just Because They Are for Sale Does NOT Mean it is Time to Plant Them!

In late April, walking through the garden section of many stores you’ll see tomato, pepper, squash, and cucumber plants for sale. Does this mean it is safe to plant them now?

Freeze Dates: Data on last spring freeze dates in Western North Carolina are critical to the survival of the warm season plants. In this region of the state, tomatoes, peppers—and often cucumbers and squash—are grown from transplants, not direct seeding.  Immediately after planting, they are exposed to the see-sawing air temperature fluctuations that occur during this time of year.

Frosted Leaves

The dates after which there is only a 10 percent chance of a spring freeze (32° F) based on data collected by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) from 1981-2010 for selected locations in Buncombe County Western North Carolina are:

Downtown Asheville          April 27

Asheville Airport                 May 4

Fletcher                               May 7

Black Mountain                  May 11

Swannanoa                        May 12

Bent Creek                         May 13

To be safe, then, Buncombe County Extension Master GardenersSM recommend not planting these crops in the ground until Mother’s Day each year. For your specific location and the weather forecast for any particular year, you may choose to plant earlier or later!

If you do choose to transplant earlier, be prepared to provide some type of frost protection when the temperature is expected to go below 36° F.  Techniques for frost protection include covering growing beds or rows with a floating row cover (supported by stakes or wire to keep the material from directly touching the plants). Protect individual plants with plastic milk jugs with the bottoms removed, paper caps, or water-holding walls.

Floating row cover tunnel_Carol Jacobs-Carre_CC BY-NC-ND 2.0_Flickr
Floating row cover

We also recommend “hardening-off” to toughen up your plants before putting them into the ground. Gently stroking your plants a few seconds every day while they are still indoors is helpful. Starting about seven days before you intend to plant, on warm days place your transplants—while still in their growing containers—in the general vicinity of the garden in a protected area to expose them to your intended growing conditions. This is especially important for any plants grown under greenhouse conditions.  You will need to make sure they have adequate water and bring them indoors at night to ensure their survival.

Article by Bob Wardwell, Extension Master GardenerSM Volunteer

Learn more:

Hardening off

https://polk.ces.ncsu.edu/2019/03/simple-but-necessary-hardening-off-vegetable-seedlings/

Western North Carolina Planting Calendar for annual vegetables

https://extensiongardener.ces.ncsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/NC-Vegetable-Planting-Guide-1.pdf?fwd=no

US Normals Data (1981-2010) for Buncombe County Weather Stations:

https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/orders/cdo/1712624.pdf

Kids Post: Winter Fun with Seed Catalogs and Bird Feeders

On the day the first seed catalog arrives, I start getting the itch to garden. Why not get your children or grandchildren interested, too? Planning for a garden and attracting birds to your yard are ideal winter activities.

Make a garden blueprint
Use last year’s seed catalogs to let children cut pictures of fruits and vegetables that they like and that you are willing to grow. Add at least one vegetable you would like them to try. 

Help them plan a garden on paper or cardboard by pasting the items where you will plant them. At planting time, take the “blueprint” out to the garden and plant.

During the growing season, it will be fun to compare the paper garden plan to your actual garden. A bonus of creating a blueprint: next year you won’t have to remember where veggies were planted for crop rotation!

Flashcards and matching games
For younger children, you can use seed catalog pictures to make flash cards, a match game, or bingo from pictures of fruits and vegetables. Older siblings will enjoy helping construct these items.

Bird feeders
Pine Cone Bird Feeder_mel issa_CC BY-NC-ND 2.0_FlickrAnother great winter project is making bird feeders. The easiest one I’ve seen is made with a pine cone. You’ll need some inexpensive peanut butter or plain suet, and bird seed. Attach a string to the pine cone for hanging, spread the peanut butter or suet over the cone, and then roll it in bird seed. Hang outside near a window so that your family can enjoy watching the birds feeding!

Enjoy the winter with these fun, simple projects. Spring will be here before you know it!

Article written by Nancy Good, Extension Master Gardener Volunteer.

Resources:
https://naturalearning.org/children%E2%80%99s-vegetable-gardens-introduction
https://gardening.ces.ncsu.edu/wildlife/birds/

Contact Us

Buncombe County Extension Office
49 Mount Carmel Road
Asheville, NC 28806
Helpline 828-255-5522

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