Lesson 1 – Getting to Know Your Soil

System
System Posts: 121 admin
edited November 2020 in Nutrient Dense Soil

imageLesson 1 – Getting to Know Your Soil

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  • harpiano
    harpiano Posts: 13 ✭✭✭

    I live in an area of Hawaii that is relatively "new". That means I'm on lava with no soil. So what to do! Do I buy "soil"? Or do I make it. I make it using the local plants that I cut down, or trim etc., and amendments that are organic, and compost. So I don't have actual soil unless there is some in the bagged "soil" I buy for starting seeds. I do add egg shells for calcium, green sand, and other things. Testing here too is kind of useless. When you consider that we get 80+ inches of rain annually, the nutrients get washed out regularly so testing would always be on the light side. I look at my plants and they tell me if things are going well or not. After 5 years of building my main garden "soil" it looks luscious and my foods are getting much more productive and beautiful. I'm combating pests much better too.

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  • ines871
    ines871 Posts: 1,283 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Well, I'm finally starting to take the TGN courses, & already have a dumb question. Don't laugh, I'm just trying to follow Instructions. - At the beginning of class, it says to fill the Quart-jar with half of our soil, & the other half with water. But in the PDF on the last page it says "I'm going to fill that with water until beyond the level of the soil itself". - So how much water do we add ? please.

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  • dottile46
    dottile46 Posts: 437 ✭✭✭

    @rainbow I noticed that too. I don't think it matters one way or the other as long as it is enough water to solidify the soil. You want it to be more of a slurry than mud pie texture. It has to be enough to separate the different parts out.

    Good for you with the classes. They are interesting and I always learn at least one thing with each one I do.

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  • gennywu
    gennywu Posts: 96 ✭✭✭

    Yes, I agree with @rainbow. The purpose is to be able to shake up the soil in the water and let it settle again. I am enjoying the course. We have had some sunny days and I can't wait to apply it all when I start my garden this year.

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  • ines871
    ines871 Posts: 1,283 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Thanks both @gennywu , & @dottile46 - so here I was raised in my grandparent's garden in Germany, & have gardened my entire life, plus have taught others how, & so continue. - So why on earth would I take this class? - Don't laugh. It's because it is shorter 🙂, than some others, lol - & I don't have alot of time. - So when I post less, that's why. Enjoy a wonderful week both of you.

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  • Obiora E
    Obiora E Posts: 517 ✭✭✭✭

    @harpiano Will Allen, of Growing Power (now closed) used to grow food on top of aged wood chips. He would get wood chips in bulk and use about 6-12 inches (I don't recall the exact amount) and grow on top of that, especially in places where the soil is contaminated.

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  • tomandcara
    tomandcara Posts: 712 ✭✭✭✭

    @ines871 When I started the class I had no idea how sort it was. Even though it was short, I did learn a number of new things. The BRIX meter was just one of them

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  • marjstratton
    marjstratton Posts: 1,131 ✭✭✭✭

    Last year I grew my garden on hay bales. The hay was cut from my own property so I know that it is completely organic. My neighbor cuts my field yearly for her horses. Anyway, my garden was very small since I kept only a few bales, but it was very productive. I had some green that I harvested until Thanksgiving!

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  • marjstratton
    marjstratton Posts: 1,131 ✭✭✭✭

    I'm in the process of double digging and putting in new raised beds this year with the plan of working in the hay from last year as ready made compost. Yes, we have gotten a really late start, but there's always fall and winter gardening.

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  • vickeym
    vickeym Posts: 1,938 ✭✭✭✭✭

    I just started the Nutrient Dense Soil class. At the end of module one the resources and quiz do not show up. Instead, I get a box with a square sad face and the words...

    Community.thegrownetwork.com refused to connect

    Have tried several different times, but get the same result. Even after shutting down and restarting.

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  • vickeym
    vickeym Posts: 1,938 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited April 30

    @LaurieLovesLearning ,@Torey or any other moderators...

    Well, it appears the quizzes are not available in any of the modules so far. I just finished module 4 and am still getting the same message about it refusing to connect.

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  • Torey
    Torey Posts: 5,396 admin

    @vickeym I get the same message. I'm not sure if @Jimerson could fix this or not. He's the tech guy but I don't know if he does anything with the Academy pages. I have tried some of the other courses and several are doing the same thing. I will send a PM and find out if he knows anything.

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  • LaurieLovesLearning
    LaurieLovesLearning Posts: 7,210 admin
    edited May 1

    @Vickey I don't know the reason behind it either. Thanks @Torey for looking into it.

    I'm actually finding a few other issues as well as I poke around a bit. It could easily be a system glitch.

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