Anyone do gardens? Lime or acidic?

[kirk1701]

Didn't really know where to stick this but after learning enough here with Ph levels and grass needing lime and other plants (holly) not liking lime because it is an acidic plant I decided the same theory applied to the garden as well.

Now going on a hunch that tomatoes were an acid plant because tomatoes was full of acid I did not put lime in the garden this spring and now I went googling to find out if green beens were acid or acidic I found different.

So I found this:
http://www.rense.com/1.mpicons/acidalka.htm

Both Beans and tomatoes are "ALKALIZING VEGETABLES" so I assume this means lime in the garden am I correct?

Second, we also have blueberries and blackberries and WAS!! going to put both on one side of the garden, got some coming and some of both already started and in the same place, but now I'm seeing blueberries are acidic (no lime) and blackberries are alkalizing fruit (need lime) so Should I not plant these both in the same place? :confused:

[Ric]

Kirk

I think you are getting mixed up between How Plants Effect Human Metabolism and what their actual soil requirement are. While I found your link very interesting, it has nothing to do with the soil your garden is planted in.

Most Garden Plants like a slightly acid soil in the 5.5 to 6.5 range. It is at these levels just like turf the Nutrients are more available to your plants. My advice is to have a soil sample done and follow the recommendations that come with that testing. Look more for what the Nutrient requirements are for each species that you grow. Beans are Legumes and don't require Nitrogen while Corn needs a lot of Nitrogen. To plant these two together is a wise practice because the beans help feed the corn while the corn can act as a structure for the beans to grow on. Tomatoes like a 10-20-20 blend or even a 10-20-15 etc.

Now getting back to your link for just a second. Citrus has a alkaline effect on the body yet it is very acidic. If you ever put salt on a grapefruit, then you know it tastes sweet as if you put sugar on it. It is the reaction between acid and salt that causes it to turn alkaline. In your body you have salts that work on acid foods and turn them sweet or Alkaline. Therefore a Acid food is metabolied into a alkaline substances.

[kirk1701]

Kirk

I think you are getting mixed up between How Plants Effect Human Metabolism and what their actual soil requirement are. While I found your link very interesting, it has nothing to do with the soil your garden is planted in.

Most Garden Plants like a slightly acid soil in the 5.5 to 6.5 range. It is at these levels just like turf the Nutrients are more available to your plants. My advice is to have a soil sample done and follow the recommendations that come with that testing. Look more for what the Nutrient requirements are for each species that you grow. Beans are Legumes and don't require Nitrogen while Corn needs a lot of Nitrogen. To plant these two together is a wise practice because the beans help feed the corn while the corn can act as a structure for the beans to grow on. Tomatoes like a 10-20-20 blend or even a 10-20-15 etc.

Now getting back to your link for just a second. Citrus has a alkaline effect on the body yet it is very acidic. If you ever put salt on a grapefruit, then you know it tastes sweet as if you put sugar on it. It is the reaction between acid and salt that causes it to turn alkaline. In your body you have salts that work on acid foods and turn them sweet or Alkaline. Therefore a Acid food is metabolied into a alkaline substances.

Thanks Ric
So sounds like I do need lime in the garden even without a soil test I know that because I do normally lime it before I till it up in the spring. However thinking that plants could be alkiline/acidic and probably was a little bit of how acid foods were like you said but I was also getting that from a mistake I made with Holly.

I planted Holly along the fence row in the grass, grass needing lime and *COUGH!* Holly being an acidic plant didn't go well, the Holly, some of the leaves on the holly turned brown on me last fall after I put my lime application out so thats when I got to looking up and found out what happened. The Holly has recovered, but won't put as much lime around that area again just to be safe.

Anyhow, learning from that mistake I kind of carried that theory over and applied it to garden plants as well so I'm safe to go ahead and lime the garden :)

Same apply for blueberries and blackberries Ric? I can plant them both together and should I put lime on those?
Check out henryfields.com I already got some of both in the ground and did great last year so ordered more this spring and filled in a place in the garden with them and ordered a second batch with just so happened shipped today so I should be setting those out tomorrow :walking:

Those frozen blueberries in January will be tasty :laugh:

[kirk1701]

Bump.

Need to get these in the groung guys, any advice? Lime them or not

[Kiril]

Cannot advise on lime without knowing soil pH. If you don't know your soils pH, then my suggestion to you is just plant them out and get a soil test done in order to determine where you need to go next.

[kirk1701]

Cannot advise on lime without knowing soil pH. If you don't know your soils pH, then my suggestion to you is just plant them out and get a soil test done in order to determine where you need to go next.

I found it Kiril,
I know the soil needs lime if in fact the plant was alkiline.

Blackberries grow best when the soil pH is between 5.5 and 7. Test the soil pH the year before you plant. If the soil is too acidic (pH below 5.5), add lime to the soil as recommended by the soil analysis.

http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog/html/ec/ec1303

Now my blueberries are just the opposite which is strange, they are an acidic plant:confused:

[Ric]

Kirk

Kiril likes to ask a lot of questions but never seems to answer any. Throw the ball in his court and he lets it go by and then serves another one out of bounds.

[Kiril]

Kirk

Kiril likes to ask a lot of questions but never seems to answer any. Throw the ball in his court and he lets it go by and then serves another one out of bounds.

Please be my guest Ric. Go ahead and make a lime recommendation without knowing soil pH and Mg levels. You have been pretty good at playing the fool lately, maybe you would like to do it in this thread too.

[Smallaxe]

With lots of OM in a garden, as it should be, pH is not generally an issue. Water, air, food is going to keep most vegetables - especially annual - happy.

Yes there may be a slight benefit to adjusting pH , but there is a greater benefit in OM, water, air, and food.

Getting hung up on the minors we tend to cheat what is most important...

[kirk1701]

I decided to go ahead and put the blueberries and blackberries in the same area and just put lime around the blackberries by hand.

Seeing as I really didn't have another area to put the blueberries right now. :confused:

[44DCNF]

Tomatoes benefit from a little lime in the hole at planting, to help ward off blossom end rot.

[Smallaxe]

Tomatoes and blueberries are acid loving plants for sure. Blackberries , don't know, but they grow wild under a layer of dead oak leaves.

Keep the foliage of tomatoes dry and up in the air, to ward off a lot of problems. Add sulfur or something to the blueberries might help.

[Ric]

Tomatoes and blueberries are acid loving plants for sure. Blackberries , don't know, but they grow wild under a layer of dead oak leaves.

Keep the foliage of tomatoes dry and up in the air, to ward off a lot of problems. Add sulfur or something to the blueberries might help.

Smallaxe

Tomatoes and Marijuana have about identical needs. I am surprised there has not been more input about tomatoes from the left coast where it is semi legal.

[kirk1701]

Smallaxe

Tomatoes and Marijuana have about identical needs. I am surprised there has not been more input about tomatoes from the left coast where it is semi legal.

LMFAOROTF :drinkup:

[Smallaxe]

Smallaxe

Tomatoes and Marijuana have about identical needs. I am surprised there has not been more input about tomatoes from the left coast where it is semi legal.

High on sulfur!!! Good idea... thanks. :)