Add organic matter to improve garden soils
Adding organic matter is the best way to improve nearly all kinds of soils.
Soil Improvement and Cover Crop Resources for Small Farms
Even though different soils have some properties that cannot be changed, such as texture, soil quality can be improved by implementing good management strategies. Soils can be improved for water holding capacity, drainage, structure,...
Coffee grounds and soil trial
Popular gardening advice touts the benefits of coffee grounds for acid loving plants, as a slug repellant and soil amendment. Little research based information is available to back up many of these claims. From November 2008 to...
Compost for blueberry plants: testing and tips
Compost is an acceptable amendment for blueberry plants, but it's important to test it before you apply it. Pay attention to pH and nutrient levels, and watch out for weeds.
Agricultural Composting Resources for Small Farms
This content collection covers various composting resources such as: introductory composting information, environmental considerations, using composted organic wastes on farms, composting at livestock operations, regulatory information for ...
Composting at Winter Green Farm Improves Soil Health and Protects Water Quality
In 1980 Jack Gray and Mary Jo Wade started Winter Green Farm just 20 miles west of Eugene, five years later Wali and Jabrila Via joined them and in 2009 long-time employees Chris Overbaugh and Shannon Shipp-Overbaugh also ...
Some Garden Myths and What Research Has to Say
From the myth of collapsing root balls to myth of compost tea - learn the facts about a range of tips you may have heard through the years about healthy soil, pretty mulch, and more.
Composting and Blueberry Production
Blueberries are an increasingly common high-value crop for small farmers across Oregon. Research has shown that blueberries favor acidic soils that are high in organic matter. In Oregon, blueberries have traditionally been grown in ...
Aminopyralid Residues in Compost
Several farmers and gardeners in Washington State lost most of their vegetable crops in 2010 due to the effects of aminopyralid herbicide residues that originated from composted dairy manure. For more information see Herbicide ...
Composting: Great promise that comes with challenges, is it a fit for your farm?
Compost is an excellent soil amendment that can quickly improve degraded soil. The composting process is also an excellent pest prevention strategy that can reduce weed seeds, plant and human pathogens, and other pests in raw ...