Another Science Project at Church Prong Labs

This year I promised to give my vegetable garden one last valiant attempt.  Five years ago when I first planted my vegetable patch on the creek side of the house, it produced an abundance of jalapeno peppers, tomatoes, spinach, lettuce, arugula, chives and the list goes on.  Each year the results proved less spectacular.  So this year I'm going to give it my best shot and if it doesn't work, then down come the raised beds and up goes the fire pit (yeah, if you read my last post you'll know where that inspiration comes from!).

My theory is that each year the nutrients in my raise beds decline.  To prove that theory I conducted another mini science project hear at Church Prong Labs (yes, a double entendre...couldn't resist!).

With a little $5 kit, I tested for pH, Nitrogen, Phosphorous and Potash.  Low and behold the theory plays out.  The only element that scored high was pH which showed a high Alkaline level of 8.0.  Beyond that all other elements showed very, very low meaning they were entirely depleted.

The key is to concoct a cocktail of pH combined with the other three elements.  Getting the pH right helps the plants to utilize the other elements so that's got to be figured out first.  It looks like the pH needs to be lowered by 25-30% and then increase the others by a large amount.  I'll have to consult Marshall, my former neighbor from Potomac who is a veggie gardener and a true scientist in his own right.  He'll be sure to have good advice.

According to my $5 kit, Nitrogen is responsible for healthy green leaves while Phosphorus is vital for healthy root development and Potash makes sure the flower and fruit develop well.  Based on that knowledge, my house plants must be experiencing a completely different combination of nutrients.  Here's a picture of a lemon harvested at Christmas -- it's enormous compared to the quarter. It must be masquerading as a french pamplemousse.

This would suggest an abundance of Potash.  I'll have to run a second science experiment to see how the hypothesis holds up.  If it holds then I'm hopeful there will be plenty of poblano peppers and arugula to share with friends all summer long!

Stay tuned...