Can you Pass the Soil Test – Part 2 – Phytoremediation

In our last episode, our protagonist was struggling to understand where excessive zinc levels came from in her garden soil. In case you missed it, you can read about it here:  Can You Pass the Soil Test?

This week, we explore the world of phytoremediation as a possible solution. What the heck is that, you ask?  To answer that question, let's go back ...

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Can You Pass the Soil Test?

What's a girl to do when her plants look anemic and aren't growing like they should be, despite the mounds of compost and organic fertilizer that are lovingly applied each season?  The mystery can only be solved one way: Get a soil test.  

We have two sets of tomatoes - one in our test garden, and one at our community garden at Ocean View Farms. Both were grown from seed under grow lights, and both were ...

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Lots of Flowers, but No Fruit

A frustrated gardenerd wrote in recently:

"Having a little gardening crisis - I planted a second round of zucchini and cucumbers in September. They are large now and have produced many flowers, but no fruit! Other things I planted at the same time are doing well. Beans and peas aplenty. I know pollination is an issue, since what few bees there are right now are OBSESSED with the eucalyptus tree on the other side of the house, not my garden - but I've added some sweet alyssum pots to the garden area, and even poked at the flowers with ...

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Flies in My Soil

A gardener writes in:

"We used 5 gallon buckets for our 3 tomatoes, 2 squash, and lemon cucumber plants this summer. I seem to have flies in the dirt! Am I over watering? What natural ways can I get rid of them?"

I'm going to take a stab and assume that the flies in question are gnats rather than house flies or white flies.  Given that, yes, over watering contributes to this problem.  It sounds like you have Fungus Gnats - little flies that lay eggs in the soil where it's nice and moist, then the eggs develop into larvae and new ...

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