Thank you for your question and soil reports.

Judging from the names on the two reports, it appears that the samples came from two different gardens. However, both reports are quite similar. The following thoughts are applicable to both gardens.

1). A medium soil texture reflects the presence of both sand and clay. This is great soil.

2). There are good amounts (9.8% and 13.2%) of organic material. I would guess that over the years, you have added compost, possibly even manure, to your gardens. Too much compost is not always a good thing. So if you have been adding compost to your gardens, consider scaling that back to a degree.

3). The pH values are good for growing veggies. This why for both reports no lime additions were specified.

4). High phosphorous levels are very common for soils in the Metro Area. Soil phosphate levels can greatly fluctuate with time. I note that your soil samples were collected in late November of 2023. If perchance leaves had fallen onto your gardens, they may have begun their decomposition. This can add phosphate to your garden. Whatever the cause, do not be unduly concerned about this. The only things you should do is to avoid using any fertilizer containing phosphate and applying raw manure to the gardens. Other than these two things, there is nothing else you should do regarding these phosphate levels.

5). Elevated potassium levels usually are of little significance. There is nothing here for you to do other than avoiding fertilizers containing potassium. Bed1 had a potassium level of 300 whereas Bed2 had a lower potassium level (196). Perhaps this is why there was a potassium recommendation for Bed2 but not for Bed1?

6). Please note that the fertilizer recommendations were for ratios. For example (Bed2), 3-0-2 could be satisfied by a fertilizer labeled 30-0-20. To keep things simple, consider using for both beds a fertilizer containing only nitrogen.

7). To keep things even simpler, I believe that adding ammonium sulfate to both gardens would suffice. It is an extremely good source of nitrogen. It is available at all garden centers. Most commercial products are 21-0-0. This would be a good average between the two fertilizer recommendations. See:

https://www.mlive.com/gardening/2007/08/ammonium_sulfate_and_gardening.html - :~:text=So it is good.,a chemical or organic source.

8). So here’s the deal. Assume you get some ammonium sulfate that is 21% nitrogen on a weight basis. This means in every pound of ammonium sulfate, there is 0.21 pounds of nitrogen. For both beds, the nitrogen recommendation was 0.15 pounds per 100 square feet. Dividing 0.15 by 0.21 equals 0.7. In other words, adding about 0.7 pounds of ammonium sulfate per 100 square feet of garden would satisfy the nitrogen recommendations for both gardens.  Do this ASAP for your gardens, preferably a week or two before you start seeding.  Water it in well.

Good luck. Please get back to us with any additional questions.  Thanks for consulting us.



Thanks for your response.

If you have been dumping your fall leaves into your garden for a few years, that would explain why there is such a high organic matter content and why the phosphorous level is also high. As I mentioned in my last response, I would suggest that you not do this for fall 2024 and let the existing organic matter undergo further decomposition. With respect to straw and hay, DO NOT USE HAY!! Hay contains way too much in the way of weed seeds. A light layer of straw added this fall as a mulch would be fine. In spring 2025, rake away this straw and plant as usual.  Straw would not add as much phosphorus to the soil as fresh leaves.

Good luck. Again, get back to us with any further questions.