The last couple weeks here at Red Bird Mission it has been filled with beautiful sunny days and Grow Appalachia has been taking full advantage of them. Piling in the home visits, meeting new clients, measuring garden plots, collecting soil samples from all of our new gardens and really enjoying the sun!!
- Chad Brock, RBM Grow Appalachia Coordinator
Chad Brock,and new members Ray Wagers, And Donnie Smith measuring garden and taking soil samples
New member Aaron Dickerson taking his soil sample
Aaron’s greenhouse
Aaron’s greenhouse
New Member Leslie Barrett showing his old garden plot
Melena Csaszar taking her soil sample
Chad Brock measuring Melena’s Garden plot
The Ledford farm 2014
Henry Ledford’s new greenhouse
Henry Ledford
More and more I find soil testing is a resource people in our community either feel is unnecessary or too expensive. I am very adamant about advising participants that neither of these opinions are true. First off the soil test can be done at any of your local county extension offices for seven bucks. If you take into consideration the amount of fertilizers you may save and the potential for increased productivity by amending the soil to its recommended state, then you have most likely saved money on unneeded fertilizers and profited from the increase in yield of your garden. So as I have heard time and time again from agriculturalist such as Dr.Sean Wright from the UK Robinson Center “don’t guess soil test”.
Soil testing
We have completed our fruit and berry order, nearly completed our tool order and have also been preparing for our first Grow Appalachia Meeting that will be held February 27th here at Red Bird Mission. The training topic will be Garden Planning. The training is open to everyone in the community both Grow Appalachia members and non-members. We hope to spread as much knowledge about organic vegetable production as possible in our community.
Exciting report. Looking forward to helping this spring.
I like the “don’t guess soil test” line. True true.