soil testing

so I use to think that the weather here was all wrong for growing turnips,
they only get about an inch tall and almost totally fail,
but then I saw the people at the farmers market selling turnips that were big and had clearly been growing well,
they grow everything in potting soil,
so it has to be the soil.
clearly I need to test the soil,
but I have no money (at least not for that sort of thing) and know of no labs to get things tested at,
so I just have to be smarter,
I went to my trusty book collection and found

Testing Your Soil With Plants !
by John Beeby
http://www.bountifulgardens.org/prodinfo.asp?number=BEA-0029

when I first go the book the math section scared me away,
but now I figure I had need of it and fear is not a good enough reason anymore,
but it turns out that you really don't need math to use it very well,

so my results are that I either have low nitrogen,
or a false positive for low nitrogen due to low organic matter in the soil,
either way the solution is the same,
and the book the farm that won't wear our has answers,
I should grow clover (or a mix with clover in it) and till it in at the right time,

but this gets me thinking why does lack of organic matter in the soil really hurt things,
and the answer is pretty simple,
organic matter in the soil rots,
and as it rots it lets mild acids out,
the acids dissolve rocks and other things, and it does it slowly and steadily,
and the plants need things dissolved in order to use them
so if you have a lack of organic matter, the plants can't get at what the soil has in it.

and on another topic
the tar weed is blooming this time of year

the squash is still setting flowers with fruit

and a squash flower without filters in the camera

and the regular flowers are also pretty (but they don't make food, so they get less attention )

and here is infrared and UV and visible (no filters in the camera)

 

 and back to regular visible only