a bit confused

[settler]

can someone please tell me what the soil condition should be on my allotment i have had it nearly a year now i am putting plenty of manure on it but not fully understand the stuff about PH and when to add lime or not etc

will somebody please help ???

[settler]

[Palustris]

Best thing to do is the get one of those cheap soil testing kits and use it to find out the .ph of your soil. Very easy to do, just follow the instructions. Only other thing is to caution against adding lime at the same time as you add manure. Manure in Autumn, lime in Spring!

[windygale]

Hi Settler, i've just read a book by Alan Titchmarsh, and depending where you live depends on your PH count, he said that the average soil should be a PH of 7 and is a neutral soil most gardens have number between 6-8 that is slightly acid to slightly alkline.the PH is controlled by its calcium content-the higher your number the more alkaline the soil is,mostly  in the form of lime.
When your PH number is low the more acid and less lime it has ,when taking your sample dig 4-5 spot of soil from all over your garden, mix together to get a hole garden count-or singles to get garden area's
that's the basic's
hope this help's
windy ;)

[tim]

Or, rather than a kit, you can get a probe. Don't know how the accuracy compares. In the Cotswolds, we stick at a steady pH6.5. = Tim

[settler]

thanks alot im sure this will help

john

[windygale]

Hi Everybody, Hope his help's with your problems
http://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/basics/techniques/soil_testingyoursoil.shtml
later
windy