Q.Amendments for Vegetable Garden
We have a community garden with 750 sq. ft. of garden beds. Our soil analysis shows a pH of 7. 8, which we’d like to correct. Also, the soil is very low in nitrogen and phosphorous. We are thinking about using powdered sulfur for the pH, blood meal for the nitrogen, and bone meal for the phosphorous.
Please advise if it is wise to use all three at one time, how much to use, and when to apply.
Certified GKH Gardening Expert
Sulfur is good for the pH. This article has a few other ways you can consider for lowering the pH:
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/garden-how-to/soil-fertilizers/raise-acid-level-soil.htm
Bone and blood meal are great, but just realize that the nutrients in them are not immediately available in the soil after applying. It takes some time for them to break down. Composted manure can get the nitrogen in the soil very quickly and will also help plants with taking up phosphorus already in the soil. I would make sure to use a bit of the composted manure with the blood and bone meal to get good balance and timing.
