I bought a soil testing kit at SW2005 and had a go with it today. I followed all instructions carefully and the results are pictured below. I now have scientific proof that my soil:
- has a ph of 5.0 (must be nearly acidic enought to etch glass)
- has a barely registering nitrate level
- has some phosporus - yippee!
- has absolutely no potassium whatsoever.
OK - so no mucking about then - liquid fertiliser in every watering from now on...
On cushions, caterpillars, cats and fidgeting....
On the joy of not cutting back in autumn.
Several years ago I hosted a propagation workshop and we explored the topic of growing plants from seed. I talked about seeds waiting for the right moment to germinate, knowing that winter had passed, measuring the temperature or daylength, and sensing when they were at the right depth to break
Years ago at a National Garden Scheme event I got chatting to another garden owner about re-vamping tired borders. I explained that I was trying to carve out some pockets of space in an overcrowded bed, to add in some earlier colour. She shook her head slowly. ‘You won’t