December 2012

Haven't posted here for a while. Between being busy, starting a new job and problems logging in, haven't gotten to it. 

Part of being busy was canning. Wound up with around 30 quarts of green beans, around that many quarts of tomato products, 8 quarts of corn (aside from what was eaten or frozen) and a few jars of pumpkin. Made a few jars of pickles but those were from purchased cucumbers.

Of course, the garden is down for the year. Biggest success of the year was tomatoes. Biggest failure was cucumbers. Had lots of pumpkins. Biggest was about 80 lbs.

I started using a propane torch to burn weeds and grass in the garden. Not finished with it but kinda broke right now. Get back to it soon. Then treat heavily with sulfuric acid, till and repeat the acid. Think that should kill off some of the weeds and undesired grasses.

Started my annual collection of leaves for composting. Not quite as much available this year. People are throwing them away or just too far off to be worth driving after. Bummer. Ex gave me one bag. Collected 5 1/2 large garbage cans from the dance studio. The church behind me actually raked theirs up for the first time since I moved in. (Need to check their dumpster. Leaves may still be there in bags.) And I haven't had nearly as many since I cut so many trees this year. (The trees are still alive but bushes instead of tall trees.) 

Corn and sunflower stalks made a good mulch, once they were shredded. All the tomato and pumpkin vines went into compost once they stopped producing. So did all the pumpkins which were not eaten or canned. Still have a few pie pumpkins left which I need to process. 

I left some tomato roots in the ground. Since they're allegedly perennial they may come back in spring. I'll still start lots of seeds in January and if the roots don't come back, just till them under and transplant seedlings. 

Saved lots of pumpkin and flower seeds. These pumpkins produced the fattest pumpkin seeds I've ever seen! Plus, the pumpkins themselves have a good flavor and texture for large pumpkins. So, all set for planting those next year. 

The grass in the front yard eventually did grow thick enough to crowd out most of the weeds. Where I still had some weeds growing, I burned with the propane torch and will repeat that later. 

Had lots of strawberry plants which did survive this year, though barely produced. Have them well marked and hoping they do better next year. Haven't had a true hard freeze yet, so need to dig up the roots and save them this week. 

In all, this was a really good year for the garden. Maybe not by some standards but best I have had so far. Expecting next year to be much better. 

Cooling down

Weather is definitely cooling down now. Dropping into the 50's at night.

Good thing for green beans. Been picking them every couple of days in huge amounts. 

Tomatoes are still producing. They accelerated once temps started dropping below mid-90's. This weekend, I placed black plastic around the bases of the best producing plants. Keep the roots warm and try to extend the harvest just a little longer. With that, I'm really happy for the drip system!

Pumpkins are still doing fairly well. Some vines died off but others have grown up that I planted later. Have several large variety pumpkins growing now. Several in the front yard. The vines in the front have grown nearly all the way across the front! Looks really cool!

Got out and took down the sunflowers. Knew they were big from a distance but up close a few were shocking! Biggest one was over 18" across and over 5 lbs, mostly dry! Saving seeds from a variety of them. 

Giant corn has topped out at about 16 ft. Waiting for the corn itself now. 

Aside from weeds, been a really good season!

Scents

The soil has developed a scent. I probably wouldn't know what it is but for the trip to Florida. While I've encountered it before, I never really knew what it was. It is the smell of soil acidity, caused by Sulfur and the bacteria consuming it. The fact that the scent is so noticeable means that the beneficial bacterial count is increasing rapidly and reaching very high levels. 

So, with the soil composition improving, soil acidity rising and nitrates in the well water, the need for soil amendments is decreasing. By next spring, it's possible that only normal fertilizing will be necessary and much less of that. I will keep testing the pH because that will give me an idea of the sodium condition and treat with more gypsum accordingly. 

Not seeing any spinach coming up just yet. However, weather has still been warm during the day, so it's probably still too hot for it. 

Still a few more weeks of good tomato weather. Have lots of tomatoes still on the vines. 

Still corn that hasn't finished growing. Weather should remain just warm enough for it to finish forming.

Have some good size watermelons and one that is getting really huge!

Guess I must have waited too long to pick some green beans. Some vines appear to have stopped producing already. Bummer. Still quite a few which are producing. 

Got more pumpkin vines which have sprouted and getting large enough to look like they may well produce some small to moderate size pumpkins. 

Finally got some flowers growing besides sunflowers. Have lots of marigolds, both front and back yards. Nothing extreme but it's a start and much better than anything previous. 

So, still getting there.

Pictures

Okay, so even though the garden is really not so groomed, wanted to post a few pics of what it looks like this year. Worlds away from how it looked the previous two years!

 This one is just to show how tall the corn has grown. This angle doesn't quite do it justice. Note that the trellises are each about 7 ft tall.

Thinning

Got the planned trellises finished. In some cases, integrated exhausted corn stalks which the green bean vines were climbing, wove them into the netting and let the vines climb from there. So, those trellises only have netting on the top half. Leaves more space at the bottom for lower crops. I did trim off the leaves and tops of the stalks for better access.

Had to take one trellis down and pull the green bean vines to make walking space. Yeah, those thin rows work great for some things, not so great for climbing vines. 

Cucumbers may be a realistic hope, after all. Put up two trellises and planted cucumbers on Monday. By Fri evening, they had already sprouted. 

Planted carrots yesterday. Some giant (supposed to grow over 5 lbs each) and some Danvers. Waiting for assorted color carrot seeds, plus some purple broccoli seeds. Still need to buy spinach seeds. 

If that garden section grows, it will be the first time all sections of the garden are growing successfully at the same time. 

Things are growing at a rate that I will definitely be preserving later. I already have lots of corn in the freezer. If the giant corn produces well, I should have enough corn to last at least a year! Have to start canning green beans and making tomato sauce. Too bad watermelon doesn't keep. 

Trellises

Got a big roll of poultry netting and started getting the trellises put together more effectively. Taking down exhausted corn stalks as I go. Still have to put up some more.

Some of the vines are over 6 ft long already. Daughter and I had green beans with dinner Sat night. They were great! Going to have the best crop yet! Looks like I may have enough to preserve this year! Yay!

I'm definitely going to plant less corn next year and none of the small variety. If it comes out well, I'll stick with the giant variety. I will plant one stalk every few feet because the shade has proven quite valuable for other crops. Melon vines are growing everywhere. I have a few melons growing, cantaloupe and watermelon. Not as many as I would think for the number of vines. Though they may pick up more as I clear the corn stalks. 

Unfortunately, have not seen a single cucumber this year. Going to give one more shot at planting some and hope for one good crop before frost. 

Since vacation

So, daughter and I went to Disney World and had a wonderful time! Just not long enough. Maybe we'll go back again someday. If I can afford it.

While we were gone, the garden went a bit wild, even though we were only gone for under a week. Not such a bad thing. 

Some parts of the irrigation system came a apart but not too badly. The timers and everything worked fine and continue to do so. 

The front yard is overgrown right now. Honestly, I'm not complaining. Lots of weeds but it's all green! And an overgrown green yard is something you just do not see in Albuquerque! Even most of the weeds here aren't truly green. More dusty olive drab. 

First thing daughter did after we walked in the door was to go raid the tomato plants. Then ate every ripe tomato there was! That's okay, it has now reached the point where the tomato plants are producing a couple of lbs of tomatoes each week and accelerating, since the worst heat has passed. Yesterday, I had to extend the cages out and up from the small metal cages. Several plants outgrew them. So I built trellises around them with 1x2's, wire and twine to take them up to 7 ft tall. I think they will eventually reach the tops. 

Also built some trellises for the green beans. Harvested a bunch of corn, took down the stalks and wound the vines onto the trellises. Been too hot up to now, so vines have grown fairly long but only two beans. Lots of flowers and expect to start seeing lots of beans in the coming weeks as things cool down and as the bees have easier access to the flowers. I still need to go buy more poultry netting. The plastic stuff from last year disintegrated. Learned my lesson and will stick with steel.

For the corn, have now had several small harvests, this past week as many as 40 ears. Cooked most of it and froze it. Some on the cob but most off. Tastes awesome! Still have at least one more crop of standard corn maturing. Then will still have two crops of giant corn after that. 

Had no choice, had to resort to pesticide for the squash bugs. Looked like I had an invasion while out of town. Had thousands of them and they killed off several vines. Kind of late for planting but going to try planting some small varieties and hope for a good crop of small pie pumpkins. Have some pumpkins growing now. Had to pick a couple because either the vines died off or they were showing signs of damp rot in spots. Have to start putting padding under them. 

Finally have melons growing! At least 4-5 cantaloupe and 5-6 watermelons so far! 

The weeds are a problem but one I can handle. The varieties of weeds now growing are actually a good indicator of soil health. The dominant weeds before now were types that grow in alkaline and sodic soil. The ones growing now grow in healthier, more fertile soil. In the fall, after pulling large stems and stalks, I'm planning on applying sulfuric acid very, very heavily. Wait a day or two, till and repeat the process. The acid should kill off any seeds on the surface each time. By next spring, the soil should have a decent pH, the dead material should compost well into the soil and I should have fewer weeds. Besides, the small flowers appear to be attracting more pollinators. Looks wild but not ugly (unless you're a New Mexican who enjoys looking at bare dirt).

We've had a lot more rain this year than last. Still, not enough for the compost pile to compost very well. So I'm going to run a small extension from the irrigation line to the compost pile. Let that get moistened each time the nearest irrigation zone runs. Then the compost will also receive any ammonia, fertilizer or acid I run through the lines, only in small amounts. 

Things have greatly improved!

Revised irrigation

Revised the irrigation in the back yard. Now more zones, so pressure remains stronger and more constant. Grass and ornamentals on one zone and main garden on a separate zone. Front yard remains on it's own zone. Each is now set with a separate timer. 

Picked the first true corn crop of the year today. Haven't cooked or shucked any of it. Not really sure how good it is yet. Some is under-formed with blank spaces. Though some ears are a really decent size. Best I've had here so far. 

Another crop will be ready in a week or two and two more crops coming in sometime later. Left the stalks in place but may pull those up in 2-3 weeks, allow more sunlight through as weather cools. Put up some trellises in their place. Or just trim off the leaves. 

Had a small tomato harvest today. About 6 tomatoes. More forming and others still ripening. Tried one of these and they taste awesome! However, looks like a thin year for tomatoes, since so many plants died off. Be better next year. 

The battle continues

The squash bug battle continues. Have lost three large vines in the process but seem to be winning at this point. No doubt various beneficial insects have helped along the way because I've seen few nymphs this year, only adults. Squashed lots of eggs, so hopefully any coming second wave will be minor and mostly eaten by other insects before they mature. 

Remaining and sprouting vines seem to be doing rather well. Sad part is that the giants I had growing have been forfeit to the fight. However, lots of new flowers blooming, so I'm optimistic for a large crop. Planted more pie pumpkin seeds this past week.

In the fall, I will leave a couple of trap plants after removing the others. Then wait for those to become infested and burn them with a propane torch which reaches 3000 degrees F.

Standard corn is almost ripe. Tried picking some this weekend but not all were fully developed. 

Some giant yellow corn is beginning to silk and sure enough, some of them have three ears growing! I've read that they can grow up to five ears per stalk. 

Blue corn is growing quickly and leaves are huge! If nothing else, think I'll plant it next year as a shade crop! 

Still not one single melon or cucumber. WTF?!

Now that temps are dropping below 100 and usually below 90, tomatoes have started flowering again. Couple of plants died off just from the heat. Others have gotten much larger and lots of fruit still growing larger or beginning to ripen. 

Was going to till under the lettuce section but so many vining weeds, decided to apply an especially strong sulfuric acid solution, give it a while, then till and replant that area after everything dies. Repeating application occasionally. Removed the irrigation lines from there for the time being. 

Harvested seeds from some giant sunflowers, let them dry and planted them next to the back gate. If a fraction of them grow, should have a gigantic stand of sunflowers there! 


Grape vines are producing rather well. Finally got dedicated lines run out to each of them. Two of them seem to be seedless green grapes. The tiny seeded red grapes are ripening. Larger than last year but still small. They do taste much better than previous years! Apparently, the birds agree. 


Still adding acid to the irrigation water once or twice a week. Really think that's helping. I also used a strong acid solution to spray directly on various weeds. Whole front yard was mostly a weed patch. Lots of goat heads. Grr! Hoping the acid deactivates the seeds. Have to grossly overseed and try to crowd out the weeds. 


Okay, time to get ready for work.
 

Giant corn progress

Thought I'd mention the progress of the giant corn, since it's a new thing.

The giant yellow corn is now racing to catch up with the standard yellow corn. Several stalks have actually equaled the height of the standard corn, while others are getting there. (Two varieties of giant yellow.) So, while 20 feet tall may not happen, looks like it may achieve some height. 

Not quite sure about the blue corn yet. Many stalks coming up, about 18 inches tall so far. That is much faster than the standard yellow corn, which took twice as long to get that tall. So again, not sure what final height will be but looking optimistic at this point. 

Harvested all the onions today. They were all tiny but one. Barely grew any larger than the sets I planted months ago. Oh, well. 

Still haven't pulled the lettuce up but it's way beyond eating. I will leave some to flower and seed. Just been lazy, hit by the heat. 

Looks like another large pumpkin plant died off today. Still finding and killing squash bugs, so it's looking like the vanilla was a failure. Going to try chopping up the onion stalks and spreading those around. Maybe some pepper. See if those do some good. 

One plant bites the dust

So, I got the imitation vanilla extract today. It's supposed to drive out squash bugs. Worth a try.  Went to apply it tonight. Ran one bottle through the irrigation system. Mixed another bottle with water in a hand spray bottle and did more targeted surface spraying. That was all the irrigating and such I did tonight. Want to leave that on the surfaces overnight to try and drive the squash bugs out. Figured running it through the irrigation system would help remove them from the whole garden, rather than displace them until next heavy irrigation or rain. Though I will repeat the process a few times over the next few weeks.

All this came a little too late for my largest pumpkin plant. It bit the dust today. Had to pull and remove it to avoid any further contamination. 

So far, most of the plants still look good. North side seems hardest hit while south side seems untouched until now. Still treated that side to avoid problems and displacement to there. Still have a couple of decent size pumpkins forming in the north garden. 

The garden has survived the worst heat of the summer rather admirably, with tomatoes still on the vine and new growth progressing. Some of the corn looks a little paler green but not bad up close. Ears are still ripening. Now, temps are forecast to begin dropping a bit after today. This was the last triple digit day on the current forecast for the year. The garden has done better after this point for the past two years, so no reason to expect differently this year. The difference being that the garden is already doing so much better this year than previous years.  

Problems and improvements

Having some problems with some of the pumpkin plants. I know I have a minor issue with squash bugs. Been scouting and destroying them as I find them but nothing compared to last year. No signs of squash vine borers that I can see. Maybe it's the heat, maybe inconsistent watering for a few days. Most appear to be recovering now. Have a few pumpkins growing. First giant bit the dust. Bummer. For safety, going to pull one vine and toss it in the trash. Not happy, it's a giant variety. However, I have more of those planted. If I get a couple of good size ones grow to maturity this year, I'll have plenty of seeds for next year.

Aphids aren't a huge problem this year but I do see some signs of them. Just got a shipment of ladybugs. Release them with daughter this evening. This is actually second shipment. First shipment arrived via UPS, all dead. With 2 day shipping, UPS managed to keep them sitting out in the sun enough to kill them. I even met the truck at the driveway and the box was hot to touch when they guy handed it to me. 

Ordered more mantis egg cases. They're good for lots of pests, including tomato hornworms, squash bugs and aphids. 

Hoping to get colonies of both ladybugs and mantises going by the end of the season this year, so they will already be in place in spring next year. Already have lacewings and wasps returned from last year. 

Fixed pump, dead pumpkin

Fixed the well pump yesterday. Problem was the piping before the pump. Installed a metal tap for the fertilizer injector and it's working much better. 

The 50 lb bag of iron sulfate came yesterday. Applied a good amount of that and used sulfuric acid in the fertilizer injector last night. 

Having problems with some of the pumpkins. My first giant pumpkin died off. Looked like the vine broke. However, other leaves have been showing signs like they're being attacked by something but haven't been finding more squash bugs. No signs evident of vine borers. Have to keep watching. It's almost all on the edges of the garden, so maybe daughter stepped on some of them? Or just the heat. 

I need to replace some of the soaker tubing. In some places I used porous tubing and it's not working very well at all. Get some more of the other type later in the week. 

Some of the newer plantings are looking really good now. Coming up quickly. Giant blue corn, pumpkin and green beans. 

Found out the timer is restricting water flow too much in the back. Okay for the front, which covers a lot less space. For the back, need to get a high flow timer or split things into more zones. For the moment, I'm just running irrigation manually, which works well. I am leaning toward making more zones. Easier to maintain water pressure for flooding areas that way. Figure out configuration later.  

Broken pump?

It's possible the impeller on the well pump is shot. Tried running it today as a test and it wouldn't build pressure. Have to give it another try tomorrow, do some troubleshooting. Problem may not be at the pump but somewhere else. Go through the troubleshooting steps before exchanging it. If I have to, at least it's still under basic warranty and it won't touch the extended warranty I purchased. 

Until I get it running again, I'm back to municipal water. Glad I have both. Also glad for timing. I'm at a point where I don't need to water quite as often as before. I have ground cover in most places and deeper roots formed for larger plants. 

For the moment, the ground still seems fairly well saturated from the rain on Thur night, so watering hasn't been required. Check it tomorrow and see how that's holding. 

Got the water timer exchanged today. Home Depot only had one in stock, out of the box and loose on the shelf. Happily, the woman at the desk let me trade them straight out. 

If I have to, I'll use municipal water through this week and exchange the pump on Fri for a 1 HP instead of the 3/4 HP I have.  

No auto pilot

Rained heavily last night. Rain got inside one of the water timers and now the display is blank. Try letting it dry out and see if it works. 

Some of the corn is now up to my chin. Earliest and smallest (grows about 4 ft tall) has silked and has lots of little ears of corn. They should grow bigger. Should have corn in another week or so! Then I'll leave the stalks in pace as shade for other crops and trellises for green beans, which are starting to climb.

Lots of tomatoes on the vine, many approaching eating size but still green. Not guessing when they'll ripen because I planted too many varieties. 

Onion stalks are beginning to brown, so almost ready to harvest. Hope they're bigger than last year. If not, I'm giving up on red onions. 

Lettuce has bolted. I keep pulling it up and feeding it to the rabbits but even they are showing less interest in it. Have to pull the rest this weekend. 

Pumpkin plants are getting huge! Haven't spotted any new pumpkins but haven't examined that closely. I'm letting the bees do their thing with pollinating, except for giants. 

The last set of sunflower seeds is growing in the front yard. Now that I have irrigation to that area, need to plant more sunflowers near the back gate. 

I ordered a 50 lb bag of iron sulfate. Should be here in a few days. Have to treat some areas heavily but that bag should still last a while. 

It's actually beginning to look like I will have enough produce to either can or sell some this year! Depends on quality, of course. Wait and see.

Auto pilot!

The irrigation system is finally on auto pilot! I had gotten one water timer a few days ago, programmed and installed it for the front yard. First as a test and second because of the new grass and flower seeds needing more frequent but less intense watering. Since I'm asleep (or this week in class) during the day, the timer was best used in the front first. That timer worked really well, so today I got another one for the back yard and garden. 

So, I currently have the front yard set to run at 5 AM, 12 Noon and 8 PM for 30 minutes each time. Have the garden set to run at 4 AM and 9 PM for one hour each time. Give things a couple of days and adjust as necessary. 

I took my time and chose the timer carefully. Had to deliver full flow because I can adjust rate in other ways. Had to have at least three possible schedules per day, preferably more. So, this timer had those features. Up to four possible schedules per day possible. Has an LCD screen with a cover. (That's really good because LCD screens degrade with sunlight.) Supposed to last a year on only one 9 V battery. Though I do buy cheap batteries, so I'm not expecting a full year. Long as they last a couple of months, I'll be happy. Just want them to work consistently until after vacation in the next month. The brand is DIG Corp. Same as a lot of other drip equipment I've been buying and really happy with. 

Now up to at least four pumpkins, possibly more I haven't seen yet. Not bad for June! For the most part, things are looking really good. I have lost a couple of the saplings in the front yard. Think to salt, because they were getting enough water. Maybe they'll recover but I don't know yet. 

I still need to spread more gypsum. Have a lot left which I haven't dissolved yet. Get to it in the next week.

Short update

Just a quick update.

The fertilizer injector and solution I mixed up worked great! Much of the iron settled to the bottom of the bucket but that's okay. With repeated mixtures, I figure more of it will decay and will be applied gradually. 

It had quite a dramatic effect. Overnight, yellowed leaf edges greened up again. Tomato and corn plants grew several inches taller. The whole south side of the garden is covered with sprouts. Corn, pumpkin and more. Mature pumpkin plants are vining at a highly accelerated rate. Sunflowers in the front yard are looking much better. 

Tonight, I extended the 1/2" poly tubing to the southwest fence and the far west yard. Need to wait until I get paid, then get more mini sprinklers and I can then plant those areas after I flood them a couple of times to dissolve the sodium and help increase acidity. Going to try the inexpensive sprinklers first. Know they'll work in some areas but not sure overall. Only way to know is trial and error.

Fertilizer injector

Configured the fertilizer injector today. Works just as I planned! 

This was something I could not find plans for, so figured it out for myself. Construction was simple and easy. I just drilled a hole in the PVC suction pipe leading to the well pump. Inserted a 1/4" barb connector. Attached a short length of tubing, about 1" long. Connected a flow control valve, then a few feet more tubing. Loose end of the tubing drops into a 5 gal bucket of fertilizer solution. Turn on the pump, open the control valve and suction from the pump draws the fluid from the bucket and mixes it with the irrigation water. 

It is not fully automatic but has to be manually turned on. 

A few considerations for this. One is that I am careful to turn the fertilizer off and let the clear water run for a long time after. Clears the pipes and reduces chances of plant burn. Another is, while the solution I use is not strong enough to burn skin, nobody should be walking through the sprinklers while it's running to avoid respiratory irritation. And it should not run at all while it's windy. In short, this should not be on a fully automatic basis. 

One benefit to this is that, even at low concentration, the acid will help remove and prevent mineral buildup in the drip system. 

Any way, mixed a carefully constructed batch of soluble fertilizer, iron and sulfuric acid and applied that this evening. This mixture fertilizes, adds iron, counters sodium and adjusts pH all at once! So, I plan on doing at least one acid application per week for the time being. I could conceivably adjust the acidity of all the irrigation water all the time but think I'll try this approach first.

It's really cool that fertilizing will no longer take a long time with the hose sprayer. Instead, turn a couple of knobs and the whole yard and garden are fertilized!

What's even more cool is the price. Since I had the bucket, tubing, connectors and fertilizer compounds, the whole thing at this moment was free! And only took a few minutes of work. 

Much improved!

So, figured out what I was doing wrong with the well pump. I did devise a filter for the foot valve which is working rather effectively. I love nylon netting! However, kept losing prime. Then figured out I had to maintain pressure after the pump, not just before. (May sound naive to people experienced with pumps but I'm new to this. Makes sense but I didn't think about it before.) So, changed the setup a bit. Still on manual but will automate after next paycheck. Split the output from one 1" pipe out to two 1/2" pipes. Doing pretty good. Separate filters for front and back yard lines. 

I am not being conservative with my current water use. Still in the process of flushing sodium downward. It's working but takes time and lots of water. So does establishing new grass and crops. Getting there, though. 

Now over 100 corn stalks, 15 tomato plants, can't count the pumpkin sprouts, see lots of green bean sprouts coming up, onions look much better than last year and dill is doing great! The few carrots which grew have grown faster than ever. Try another crop later this year. Noted the giant yellow corn is coming up and the giant blue corn planted last week is already sprouting! Nice! If all corn planted grows, I'll have over 200, maybe 300 corn stalks in the garden this year. Half of that giant varieties.

Pollinated the first female pumpkin flower this morning. Earliest ever. Looks like a giant variety, with over four months to grow until Halloween! Awesome!

So, with the well pump now working properly, my next project will be to work on setting up an automated fertilizer and acid injection system. I can do that with supplies on hand. Don't think it wise to use it while the yard is occupied, since I have multiple sprinklers involved. I can use it to balance the PH but not much to acidify outright. So, a more gradual approach will be necessary. That's okay, long as the water isn't alkaline. It's already much better than municipal water. Think I'll do a comparison tomorrow. 

Digging in some plants today, found a large number of earthworms! These were nowhere near where I had inserted worm cocoons I had purchased, so it's a really good sign! Daughter picked some of them up and intends to start a worm farm. 

Faster and faster

Really tired from the night at work. Then, after work, had to go sign papers for the refinanced loan on the house, which drops the payment by about $75 a month. Not a huge amount but not insignificant. House payment was already low by today's average.

Then had to shop for truck parts. Again. Be taking a nap, then working on the truck today. Blah.

Still having well pump issues. It's working but still too much sand getting in the system, blocking the check valve open, so I'm losing prime. Have to devise a better filter system. 

Only real problem there is that I can't put things on auto pilot. Have to do it all manually. Still, the results are so far removed from anything that has come before as to be nearly miraculous. 

First corn crop is approaching chest high now. Few stalks are over 1" diameter. Giant pumpkin plants are actually becoming giants. Waiting for some female flowers, which are forming and should bloom in the next few days. Tomato plants are 3 times the size of this time last year and flowering already. Really hoping to see tomatoes soon. Huge number of assorted melon vines getting larger daily. No melons yet. More flowers growing in front of the house than have grown since I moved in and probably for years before I moved in. Most things look as green as I had been hoping for all along. 


Lettuce is getting ready to bolt but I already planted some other crops in that section. In fact, the whole garden is now planted at this point. May add a few more companion plants but no more major crops until fall. Unless something just doesn't grow. Right now, that's not looking like a problem in any large areas. 


The well water had too many minerals in it to be good for the pool. Not harmful but ugly. The more I ran the filter and the more sunlight it was exposed to, the darker brown the water got. Eventually, it rather looked like mud. So, I drained the pool into the garden. Now going to go ahead and fill it with municipal water. Still need supplies to clean the pool out. Lots of sand and clay tracked in by kids covering the bottom. Oh, well.

 

Desert wetland

Third pump's the charm?

Got the new pump up and running today. It works great! Pressure and flow rate are consistent. Pressure is better than the outdoor faucet!

First order of business was filling the new pool for my daughter. Pool holds about 1000 gals. Did that in about 2 hours or less. 

Planted new grass in the front yard, along with excess giant blue corn, green beans, giant pumpkin and more flowers. 

In the garden, planted more flower seeds, cucumbers, multiple varieties of peppers and giant watermelon. 

Then flooded front and back rather thoroughly. By this time, my yard is becoming a desert wetland. Going to continue in that direction unless I see evidence that too much water is becoming a problem. 

Sodium is still an evident problem but becoming less so. Soil pH is improving, indicating sodium is being bound up or counteracted. Without new seeds sprouting, I'm up to 14 tomato plants now. Simply because some plants which had appeared dead revived and are growing. More corn and pumpkin plants coming up daily. Flower count is slowly increasing. 

Still more to do. Haven't gotten the southwest and west sections hooked up to irrigation or planted yet. Try to get that done tomorrow. 

New well pump

Got a new well pump today from Harbor Freight. The utility pump was doing okay. I had figured out the pressure balance fairly decently, though it did lack somewhat, it was working for the moment. Then the dog got to it. Long story short, she managed to knock the pump over and it ran dry for some time, until the impeller was trashed. Dog is now much more limited in her movements.

So, got the new one today. Went up on the HP slightly. Not up and running yet. Ran out of certain fittings, so have to pick them up in the morning. One thing I was apprehensive about was noise level. This pump had bad reviews for that on their site. However, I found it to be quite quiet enough. Can only hear it a short distance and may not be able to hear it more than a couple of feet once it's enclosed. Good deal for the price. Hope it puts out enough pressure. Flow rate is up to 900+ gph. 

So, I think fifteen mins 3-4 times a day should do the trick for front and back yards. May not need that much. Have to wait and see. 

Some things are growing great now! 

First corn planting is growing so thick the plants may have to be thinned. Seems a shame, since it just wouldn't grow last year at all. Biggest concern is it shading lower plants too much. Doesn't seem a problem so far. Wait and watch.

Tomato plants are getting larger and some are flowering. That didn't happen until much later last year. So, I'm hoping for tomatoes in the next few weeks. 

Lettuce looks wonderful but temps have climbed into the 90's. It will bolt soon. 

Several pumpkin plants have gained really good size now and later plantings are sprouting. Melon vines are also getting bigger, though I haven't seen any flowers or fruit just yet. 

Planted giant corn and spinach (heat tolerant) yesterday. Planted green beans to climb the corn. Need to try planting more cucumbers. That will be the only thing I build actual trellises for this year, I think. 

Found out the well water here is high in Nitrates. That was great news. Seems like other nutrients are becoming more available, so are already present. Just been held back by the Sodium until now. May fertilize more but only in very small and gradual amounts. Too hot to fertilize or do any more pH adjustments for now. Just have to let nature do her job on those things. 

Drip system!

So, got the main drip system in place now. It is now functioning for the main garden, two flower beds, the center path (which has grass) and the two trees in the back yard. Works wonderfully!

The well wasn't working so great. Flow and pressure kept fluctuating. Think the pipe was too large. So, dropped a 3/4" pipe with foot valve last night. Haven't hooked it up yet but have high hopes for it. 

When it was running at full flow and pressure, it pumped out enough that it would be too much for the drip system for the main garden alone. Think it should be good with the entire front and back hooked up. 

One of the good thing about the drip system is that it will be great for direct seeding. Can keep the ground moist more consistently. I currently have ten tomato plants but had hoped for more. So going to try direct seeding some. Don't see any reason that shouldn't work, since I've had random tomato plants come up last year and this year where I had not planted them.

Even hooked up to the municipal water supply, I've seen great results in a short time. Corn sprouts which looked quite stressed shot up several inches in under 24 hours. Melon and pumpkin vines popped up which were not there the previous day. 

Going to go against common advice and plant corn near the tomato plants. Giant blue corn. Maybe they won't draw the same pests as other strains, which is the reason advised for planting separately.  


Saw first evidence that the mantis eggs actually hatched. While pulling weeds, saw a tiny mantis in the garden yesterday! If I saw one, I'm sure there are lots more I haven't seen. Daughter has found a lot of baby ladybugs, so waiting for them to mature. I have not seen much damage from aphids yet this year and have not had to treat for them at all. That's a good indication that something is keeping them at bay. I may have to order more beneficials once the growing area is enlarged but going to hold off on that decision for later.

Lots to do. Gonna get to it!

More indoor planting

Since flooding the front yard, I've seen some improvement there. Though I applied iron sulfate a few days ago, still seeing signs of both iron and Nitrogen deficiency, so have to do something about that. 

Going to cultivate the front yard one more time and heavily apply acid to kills off remaining weeds where I can. Use weed killer and pull where the acid could damage other things. Long as I'm at that, go ahead and apply the batch of gypsum I have dissolved. Try and correct as much of the soil balance as I can before planting new grass seed again. And kill off as many weeds as possible. Going to cultivate as best I can behind the line of sunflowers and plant more, varied kinds behind the ones already growing. 

Got more indoor planting done last night and tonight. Dwarf Red Crape Myrtle, Princess Trees, Peppermint, Hummingbird Vine, Jasmine and Giant Mathiolas. Aside from esthetics, Trying to attract beneficial insects in large numbers. 

Brain is dead. Lost a lot of sleep this week, then smoke blew in from wildfires hundreds of miles to the south. Smoke gets carried up into the high atmosphere, then settles to the ground when it gets cooler because of the inversion. That sets off my bronchitis. Harder to think clearly when you aren't breathing effectively. Taking medication but it only helps to a point.

Getting to bed soon. Control what I can about the situation.

Flood irrigation!

Got the well actually running yesterday! The utility pump does the job rather effectively. There are a couple of issues but I think they're caused by the setup. Used pipes that are too large and too high. Got some supplies to correct that but need one or two more items. It puts out lots of water and lots of pressure but rate and pressure fluctuate drastically. Though at full force, it produced enough pressure to blow out an oscillating sprinkler when all flow was directed to that one. However, trying to use three sprinkler at once drops pressure where they don't move. Won't be an issue once the drip system is completed, I'll still have to use a pressure reducer. Trying to avoid having to buy a pressurized tank, so I'm adding a foot valve at the bottom and a higher check valve. Maybe that will do the trick.

Any way, since the pump is working, I flood irrigated the garden yesterday, letting the sprinklers run for several hours. Saw positive results by this afternoon, so this evening I repeated the process. Now let it sit for a couple of days. Results I saw were taller and greener plants all around with new corn coming up. Not sure if any of them are giants.

Since the pressure blew out the sprinklers in the front yard (one sprinkler at a time x 2), I manually flooded the front yard tonight. Flowers and rosebushes were looking weak, most likely because of sodium. See tomorrow if that theory works out. 

Got lots of other things to plant in the next week or so, if I want them to grow this year. Get some potting soil this weekend and do some of that this weekend.

Six feet?!!!

So, the well contractor came by this morning. Cool, old fashioned guy who does business on a handshake and agreed to sink the well today and I will pay him tomorrow. 

It was he and his teenage son (I'm guessing 18). They sank the well the old fashioned way, by hand with an auger, slide hammer and sweat. Took them under two hours to finish the well. 

The most amazing thing is that it took them only six feet to reach groundwater! With screen, total depth is about 15 ft. But really. Six feet? I have spent all this time, effort, stress and money on this when water was six feet under my feet all along? OMG. So the well is definitely shallow enough to be able to use a shallow well pump. Going to try out the utility pump here shortly. Considering options. Saw one for a good price at Harbor Freight but not enthralled with the reviews. However, have not been unhappy with anything I have purchased at Harbor Freight, so may buy one from them, any way. If the utility pump doesn't provide enough power.

They use schedule 80 PVC, including the screen. I like PVC, it doesn't corrode like steel pipe does. It's placed in the back yard, right next to where the planned waterfall will be and in direct view of the kitchen window. Only a few yards from the house, so I can run underground conduit to that spot from the entry panel in no time with help from the tiller. Until then, can use an extension cord for the pump.

Today is the day for water pumps. Got the water pump for the truck after the contractor left. Now need to go install that. Since my water karma seems to be in positive swing, want to get it done today. 

Gotta get a move on. 

Seeds!

So, the seeds I was waiting for arrived today.

The giant corn really is giant! It's about 3-4 times normal size! Saw some pictures of the corn stalks these grow online and some grew as high as 15' tall. Judging from the size of these, one ear would be enough for a family of four for dinner! (As a side dish, of course.) 

The spinach seeds are about 10x normal size. Hope the plants are! 

There is some preparation before planting some of these. The strawberry and grape seeds have to be stratified (kept in the freezer for a few weeks) before planting. For blueberries, I have to acidify the potting soil or find some really acidic potting soil. 

Blueberry seeds are microscopic. No wonder I never knew they even had seeds! You can eat blueberries and never know you ate the seeds. 

Hoping the grape, hummingbird and jasmine vines all do well.  Then the entire fence line across the back yard will be covered with vines, mostly flowering. There is already one grape vine and two other vines I'm not sure of. Think the other two are English Ivy, though they look like grape vines that are likely sterile. Giving a shot at fertilizing one. Attempts to kill off the other one have failed and it has grown back stronger and greener than ever this year. Doesn't help that it's right by the compost bin. So, I'll just keep it trimmed. Least it looks decent now. Tried killing it because it looked tragic. It would be cool if they all started sprouting grapes! The main grape vine has been well fertilized and added sulfur, compost, gypsum and sulfuric acid to the soil around the main trunk. Hoping for some decent grapes this year instead of the miniatures of the last two years. 

More drip stuff

Got more drip irrigation stuff today. Start getting all of it installed this weekend, slowly. 

I have learned a bit about how to lay out lengths of soaker tubing and maintaining pressure now. That was a problem last year. Laid the lengths out too long, so some tubing lost pressure while I had jets digging small trenches in other places. 

Last night, I cultivated the south side of the garden and west side of the yard one more time. Mixed in compost, gypsum and small wood chips in various places. Spread some iron powder and then mixed a really strong sulfuric acid solution and applied that. Even if it has no immediate effect on the soil, it will kill nearly all the remaining weeds in those areas. 

Really tired and not much else to write about. Need to lay out the drip system and wait for new seeds to come in. But time for bed right now.

Giants and sulfuric acid safety

Okay, so I did make the decision on the giants. Ordered some seeds for more giant pumpkin seeds, also corn, spinach, strawberries and grapes. Most of those should arrive with good timing for planting this year. Others may grow enough to develop a root system but won't produce until next year. 

I also ordered seeds for Princess Paulownia trees, which are supposed to be decorative and the fastest growing tree known. Tossed in Jasmine, Blueberry bushes, Hummingbird vines and Red Dwarf Crape Myrtle.

My hope is that planting trees and bushes at varying heights will form a wind break, while flowers attract lots of pollinators. Shading the ground may help reduce temperatures in the immediate area. I'm considering using dwarf trees in various places through the garden in sunken containers to give shade to the garden. The Red Crape Myrtles may be just the ticket for that. 

I have been worried that maybe I would apply too much sulfuric acid to the soil and kill everything off. Turns out, that's not so much a worry. Read an old article online about orchard growers using sulfuric acid. And the article was mostly about New Mexico. Seems orchard growers apply the stuff in amounts as high as 1 ton of pure sulfuric acid per acre per year. In some places, even higher amounts. Though, as I suspected, best time to apply high amounts is in fall and winter. Note that pure sulfuric acid is about 95% acid, while automotive sulfuric acid is about 65% acid. So, applying in the amounts I've been using is fairly safe. It does have to be applied each year, though. 

After talking about applying sulfuric acid, I thought it wise to include some warnings for anyone who may be thinking of doing this, themselves. 

Precautions for Sulfuric Acid Soil Applications (Domestic):

Concentrated sulfuric acid should only be used for places where annuals are planted. It will kill any roots or seeds it contacts directly in high concentration.  You can use it for trees and other more permanent plantings but it must be applied at considerable distance, beyond the drip line. Applying too close in strong concentration will kill the plant!

High concentrations are not advised at all for home gardens. It takes special respirators and safety clothing which is devised for acid. Your dust mask or paint respirator will not protect you! The amounts and concentrations I mentioned above is done only by professionals who are specially trained, equipped and licensed for this application! 

Sulfuric acid application should only be used for soils which have known problems with sodium or calcium carbonate which is causing alkalinity issues. It should not be used for otherwise healthy soil that just needs a small boost to the acidity.

Sulfuric acid by itself is largely useless. It must have calcium in the soil to act upon. Be sure to have your soil tested or apply calcium (usually carbonate) to the soil before applying acid. 

Do not attempt to apply sulfuric acid at any time without doing some serious research before applying it!  If you have no experience with handling chemicals, get help from someone who does or forget the idea. You can always apply acetic acid (vinegar) or sulfur, instead.

Never, ever, ever mix water into sulfuric acid. Always mix acid into water and check the pH every few drops! It lowers very quickly! To lower the pH of two gallons of water to a pH of 3.5 from 7.0 takes less than one half ounce of automotive sulfuric acid.

Do not mix other chemicals or fertilizers in with the acid or acid solution. It can violently and instantly boil, fume or explode!

Less intense, more frequent applications are just as or more effective than single, intense applications. 

Be sure to wear safety goggles, a mask and nitrile gloves when handling sulfuric acid!

For wide area applications, if you have not handled acidic chemicals, are not comfortable or just not sure, do not try it alone. Do not trust your brother, your cousin or your friend who works at Home Depot to do this or assist you. Do not trust anyone who says safety equipment is not necessary. 


You can burn your skin, blind yourself or permanently damage your lungs by handling this the wrong way!!

If even thinking of applying sulfuric acid to your soil, print these warnings and live by them!

Considering giants

In considering how so many things here are dwarfed because of heat and, I'm guessing, sodium and alkalinity, there aren't too many options. I have not seen much produce grown here which is not under-sized. Locals accept it and grow crab apples, tiny grapes and things like that. 

I'm not that easy. Something I am no looking into is giant plants. Seeds are fairly difficult to find and produce quality can be questionable. Worth a try, though.

There is a vendor on Amazon who specializes in seeds for rare and giant plants. Reasonable prices and shipping. Going to try ordering a few things from them soon. Giant corn, various flowers, etc. If quality isn't what I want, may try grafting plants or seeds. As it is, they have seeds for corn which allegedly grows over 16' tall and up to six ears per plant. Some other things are more "normal" plants which just grow large or very quickly, like Jasmine and various other flowers. 

Something I did not know. Blueberries grow from seeds. I wasn't even aware blueberries had seeds. I'm sure it would take much longer to grow them this way but much more affordable. 

This kind of brings back the idea of the tree project. Starting trees which grow flowers and fruit, letting them get to some size and then planting them out. Not quite as easy as I would hope but it is possible. 

The iron sulfate came today. Treated part of the garden and the front yard with that this evening. See how things look after this. This formula is 30% iron, 15% soluble. Waiting for the other iron to arrive and then treat the other side of the garden and other sections of the yard. Then compare results.

The well guy is supposed to be here tomorrow to discuss a possible new well. Says he'll take payments. See how it all pans out. 

Unfortunately, walked outside today and found someone had stolen the well pump. I was more than a little upset. Can't prove it but sure I know who did it. Damn drug addict SOB. I still have the utility pump, which works pretty good. Good enough until I can get a new formal well pump. 

A starting collection

Bought a starting collection of drip irrigation equipment yesterday. Mostly tubing of various types and some connectors. However, quickly realized after getting home that I'm going to need a lot more soaker tubing. Plus various types of connectors.

The initial cost of setting up drip irrigation is not cheap for such a large area. However, the tubing is supposed to last for several years, longer if covered. I read some estimates of up to 7 years. That makes the cost more acceptable.

Some of the garden isn't looking much better than last year, so far. Corn is looking better and so is lettuce, neither of which grew at all last year. It is still early in the season, though. And I haven't planted green beans or many pumpkin seeds yet. Some of the pumpkin seeds I did plant seem to be doing rather well. 

Before setting up drip irrigation in currently bare areas, I want to till in the gypsum and iron this week. I'll decide while tilling whether to add more compost to those areas. I know some spots will need it, not sure about others. 

Waiting for the iron I ordered to arrive. However, just ordered it early Fri morning and it just shipped later Fri, so won't be here for a few days. That's okay, I have to work 4 nights in a row. Should have the iron by Wed or Thur, when I'm off. 

Admittedly, those bare areas had spinach planted which didn't grow. Haven't planted anything else there yet, so it's no wonder it's bare. The frustrating spot is the area next to the fence, where I planted a huge amount of flower seeds. Nothing growing there at all. Haven't tested the soil there, so need to do that. I suspect previous residents had animals housed there, so the sodium is probably worse there than other spots. I'm still hoping I'm not dealing with chemical contamination. 

Finally got a bicycle to ride with my daughter. She's outside playing with a neighbor kid. Have to go check on her and maybe go ride with her for a while. 

Drip irrigation

I'm trying to set up drip irrigation. Not quite as easy as it sounds. To wind my way through it, I had to buy a book. (Got it second hand on Amazon.)

You have to hook a water pressure reducer and filter into the system. That hooks to 1/2" tubing. Then you hook a manifold to that and run 1/4" tubing to various areas. 

From there, it gets confusing. There are an astounding number of options available and not much good information pertaining to what fittings to use where. I ordered an assortment of micro-sprinklers, to let me play around and figure these things out. The assortment alone has 15 different sprinkler patterns. And that is from one company. There are a number of different companies that market these things. That isn't even taking into consideration the wide range of tubing types available which have sprinkler emitters built in already.

Of course, like most things, you have to shop around. Prices vary widely on the same items. May not be a big deal if you are irrigating a small area. For me, I'm trying to set up irrigation for something like 5000 sq ft of back yard and 500 sq ft of front yard. No telling how many micro sprinklers I'll have to install, so it counts to me not to be paying more than I have to for each piece. 

Not going to be able to afford the new well this paycheck. Too many bills to pay and some fairly expensive truck maintenance to do. Probably next check. At least it's within view. 

Corn and more

Corn, tomatoes, pumpkin and melon plants are gaining in size now. Especially happy about the corn, as it seems to be a good indicator of the soil health improving. Last year, the corn began growing, often got to a little over 1 inch tall and then died. Right now, the average stalk is around 4 inches tall and looking healthy. 

Between the corn, melon vines are sprouting. Nothing spectacular as yet and waiting to see how they do. Still going to plant more of them. 

I have seen signs of iron deficiency. Unquestionably some of that is due to the sodium and the pH but adding some iron would be a good idea. I am torn between using iron sulfate and iron oxide. The sulfate is 30% iron but formulated for garden soil. The oxide is not specifically formulated for soil but is 100% iron oxide. Think I'll order both, apply them in different areas and compare results. May mix some of the oxide to sulfuric acid and apply it to still another area. Diluted, of course. 

One reason for the iron is the strawberries. Even though they're in containers, they seem to be showing signs of iron chlorosis. Means the potting soil is poorly formulated. Got some different potting soil today. Can change out some potting soil for some of them and need to move a couple of others to larger pots. They're drying out too quickly in the small pots they're in, even though I moved them to a shadier area. 

Cut almost all the remaining wood into fireplace size pieces today. Now have a stack about 3 ft tall and 20 ft long. Not completely done yet. Still have the largest trunks left to cut. Should have a considerable amount of wood once done. 

Finally finished the rabbit hutch yesterday. It's 6 ft long with a "house" that's 2 ft long, 2 ft wide and 18 inches tall. Left the area on top open as a balcony, which bunnies seem to enjoy. They adapted to it quickly and seem to enjoy it out there. It's quite sturdy, 2 ft off the ground and securely enclosed with steel poultry netting. Should be cat, dog and bird proof. Strong enough that I believe it will last for several years. I put a roof of reclaimed polycarbonate on it and it's placed where it gets shade from a neighbor's tree and then the fence in the late afternoon and evening. And my house smells much better already. 

It's working!

Did a few random checks of the soil pH this morning. The acid and sulfur are beginning to have an effect! Yay! Mostly it is still around 7 but a few spots are down to around 6.5. That's perfect for many plants in the garden. Few others will survive in that pH but need lower to thrive. For the sake of companion planting, I'm shooting for 6.5 through most of the garden.

One of the best parts of this news is that it also means the sodium has been counteracted in the areas which show an improved pH. I know it's a battle which will continue but at this point, I'm finally winning it. 

Countering the sodium means more nutrients become available to anything growing. So I won't have to fertilize quite as much. I am going to continue fertilizing fairly heavily for the moment, just to get things off to a good start. 

Another positive is that the acid is also doing a great job of breaking down the gypsum board. Where it took weeks for gypsum to dissolve in plain water, it is taking only days with the acid. Even the paper lining is breaking down easily. Daughter and I broke up some gypsum boards on Sat or Sun, filled the tub with a water/acid solution and let it sit. This morning, I took a shovel to mix it up and much of it has turned to mush already. Of course, the paper doesn't break down as readily as the gypsum does but I can strain the large pieces of paper out and add them to the compost. 

I spread the previous batch out before we filled the tub up. Going to spread this batch out this week and start a new one. It actually makes a fairly good mulch. Looks a little funny for now but dissolves into the soil with each watering. 

Tomato plants which I did this near seem to be perking up. This week, going to spread it around the corn and pumpkin plants. Also around some of the small trees. 

Next batch will probably be spread in the front yard. The grass once again just looks rather tragic. At least the sunflowers are coming up nicely! Or I'll try using the liquid in the garden sprayer or a sprinkler can and water the front yard. Doesn't last as long but avoids all the odd looking white chunks everywhere. Can put a ring of the mush around the rose bushes and it won't look quite as odd. Especially if I cover that with compost. 


Hmm. Using that approach, I'll change plans and use next batch for the bare area in the far west back yard. Going to apply one more highly acidic solution to that area this week to kill off remaining weeds. Next week, till in compost, the remaining wood chips and the gypsum mush. Probably give it a couple of days to rest and then spread more grass and flower seed in various areas. 


Found a guy who advertises he will sink a 2" well for $550. Going to give him a call. Since the old well is kaput, I'll just get a new well sunk in the back yard instead of the front. Haven't decided on exact placement yet. Want it somewhat near the house, so I don't have to run underground conduit and it will also supply the planned waterfall. 


Have to get ready for work.

Sulfuric acid

Started trying something a bit different. Using sulfuric (battery) acid for the soil. 

Tested the soil pH the other morning and found it's still sitting around 8.0 in most of the garden. Not much will grow in that besides weeds. The indication here is that the sodium is still extremely high. 

I know there is now lots of calcium in the soil. No small amount of iron. Problem is, it's being bound up or blocked by the sodium. So, did some thinking and then some research. Turns out sulfuric acid can be used for the garden, if done carefully. So, started using that last night. However, the acid is almost instantly neutralized by the alkaline soil. Tested the soil pH this morning and found nearly no change at all. 

Part of the problem may be in the way I applied it. I diluted it quite a bit, enough to apply it with a garden sprayer. Going to have to take a different approach. Going to mix a stronger solution and manually apply it directly between rows. The direct application should help kill weeds in the trenches and any acid not instantly neutralized will seep into the mounds. (Not expecting much of that.) What I am hoping to achieve is dissolving the calcium, which should bind with the sodium and make nutrients more available to the plants. 

I'm also trying using the acid to dissolve the large pieces of gypsum in a plastic tub. (Not a strong enough solution to dissolve the tub.) If that works, I can apply that and it should help bind up more sodium. 

I did make the decision that most of my larger plants will have to be raised in containers this year. However, one section of garden is not yet planted. Actually, it was but nothing grew there. Going to amend that area heavily, treat it with a strong acid solution and see what happens. 

When fall and winter comes, I will be treating the soil heavily with acid multiple times. 

I have worried in the past about over-fertilizing. Not worried about that now. Looks like it's a near impossibility for this soil. Going to have to fertilize heavily this year.