July 2019 United Country Real Estate

AMENDING SOIL by Mike Farren If you plan to grow crops or have a garden, the quality of your soil can have a big impact. Particularly in urban and suburban areas, soils can be compacted and may lack the necessary organic matter to properly nourish plants. The best way to improve neglected soil is through soil amending. completely recycled and full of the organic nutrients, nothing can improve your soil more. The EPA holds biosolids to extremely stringent standards. Most municipalities treat their biosolids to a Class B standard, which is safe for farmland, but should be avoided by urban lawn clippings, fruit and vegetable waste and leaves, though anything that was once alive can be turned into compost over time. Composts can be purchased from lawn and garden stores, by keeping a compost pile on your property, or increasingly from cities and counties that produce their own.

Soil amending is the simple process of adding organic material back into your soil to improve its health. There are three common types of soil amendments: BIOSOILDS Biosolids are digested pieces of solid material extracted during the wastewater treatment process . While this might not sound like something you’d want to add to your garden it’s actually one

gardeners. However, many cities are now creating Class A biosolids that can be used anywhere, so be sure to check that the biosolids you’re using are appropriate for your location and purposes. Biosolids can be purchased in smaller quantities at most lawn and garden stores, and many are sold in bulk directly from the water where resource recovery facilities they are produced.

MANURE If there’s one thing farmers have a never-ending supply of, it’s manure. Luckily it can give your soil a great boost in nutrients. To obtain manure, talk with your local agriculture organizations to see if they can give you a list of farms willing to share their manure with you. HOWTO USE AMENDMENTS Though amendments can be added to your soil at any time, they’re best added in the spring before planting or in the fall before the garden goes dormant for the winter. Adding amendments is very simple. Just spread two to three inches of amendments around the desired area and work it into the soil using a shovel or tiller. Sources: https://www.soils.org/discover-soils/soils-in- the-city/community-gardens/amending-soil https://www.nebiosolids.org/where-to-get-it

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