1. The Trials and Tribulations
of Gertie the Gardener
How to understand your soil.

2. There once was a gardener named Gerty:
Gertie, the Gardener

3. Potatoes Rhubarb Blueberry
She was growing great things in her garden.
These plants like slightly acidic soil.

4. Kale
Asparagus Chard
She was also growing other things in another garden.
These plants like slightly alkaline soil.

5. Here comes our eager Gerty now!
ying
ying s emp
t
mpt Mos s
rty i shes
ty is e eat oile
t Ge d a
Ger and P iolet T o
wo her w ood
Pee the B from e.
m This is very
Fro This is very sto v
alkaline.
acidic.

6. Gerty the gardener decided to not let anything go to waste!
So she added them to
the gardens.

7. Poor, Gerty the Gardener!
The pee/moss was
The ash was too basic
too acidic.
NOTHING GREW!

8. Not to worry! Pam, the Peppy Permie, is here!

9. She said, “No soil is
unsalvagable!”
First,
TEST
YOUR
SOIL!

10. Gerty the gardener measured
the ruined blueberry soil at PH 4 :
Too Acid! She needs to increase her
PH!
Add Dolomite Lime
which adds calcium and
magnesium.
Phosphorus will slowly
appear for your plants.
This process will be slow.
Read from the Original Website: http://www.the-compost-gardener.com/soil-ph.
html#ixzz1qfOGqPvw
Under Creative Commons License: Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivatives

11. Gerty the gardener measured
her ruined asparagus at PH 8 :
Too Alkaline!
She needs to decrease her PH!
She needs sulfur +
time + soil bacteria to
get a lowered pH.
●Readfrom the Original
Website: The Compost
Gardener
Under Creative Commons License: Attribution Non-
●
Commercial No Derivatives

12. After those additions are made, Pam the Peppy
Permie gave this advice:
Borrow a digging fork
from someone who isn’t
using theirs to loosen
the soil .
Plant cover crops and
mulches to keep the soil
surface porous.
Add worms!
Then cook for a year
until done!

13. What did you learn?
ALWAYS TEST YOUR SOIL FIRST
before you start adding things!
THEN you can add the appropriate amendments
to your soil.

14. Sources
●Fundamentals of Physical Geography, 2nd Edition. Date Viewed.
http://www.physicalgeography.net/fundamentals/10t.html
●Plantation Approach to Phosphate Mining Reclamation." Biomass
Energy Crop & Biomass Power Working Group. Web. 30 Mar.
2012. http://www.treepower.org/soils/soilresearch.html
●"Sustainable Agriculture." ORGANIC DYNAMICS. Web. 30 Mar.
2012. http://organicdynamicsllc.com/