soil prep

Okay, I put a worthless effort forward this last spring at growing and i got a worthless result. Im gonna really do a badass grow next spring and ive decided i need to work on my grow sites before spring comes aroung, but i have a few question. A few things: Im growing from bagseed but i got alot of it, i live in southeastern texas. First, theres some streams around but they real nasty and brown looking... the lake is nasty too. Can i use this to water my plants anyway or is there like tablets i can add to it? Second, most of the soil is a mix of sand and clay. There isnt really any black or brown dirt anywhere. If i go out and dig like 3X3ft holes and work a S*** load of pineneedles and leaves into it will it be okay to grow in by spring? Second if this wont work does anyone have any other suggestions. I am on a very limited budget but i dont mind labor. I was thinking about just growing them in like 2X2 ft plastic pot type things filled with potting soil? Any feedback is greatly appreciated.
Absent

Don't use pine needles, they'll throw you pH way off.
Leaves and other matter should be composted first.
My friend had good luck with 10-gallon carboard (or something like cardboard) planters.
My suggestion is to use Black Gold or Fox Farms potting soil. All the nurtients you need until flowering are already in it.
It's expensive but it saves you $ in the long run with no grow nutrients needed.
As for the local water, can't help you. Is it brown year-round or just right now? You might want to have it tested. It could be polluted with agricultural run-off or affluent from cattle.

You discovered an important truth: the more you put into it the more you'll get in return.

Peace out

compost? so like make a big plywood bin and throw em in there? and like how much is this soil gonna cost me to fill 12 containers with?

If you want it free, start picking up bags of lawn clippings, and bags of raked leaves. Mix them in equal parts at the garden site. Put it in the ground now, and let it cook til spring. Avoid the pine needles!!

You can use Pine Needles, but just be sure to throw some woodash in there...woodash is very basic...and pine is very acidic...just burn some oak or something and throw it in...and about once a month go check on the mixture...turn it up and around a little and look at the consistancy...

Also..throw some Pea Gravel or perlite in there...it will help loosen it up and allow the roots to breathe a little bit extra...jsut watch the perlite cause it's bright white, and often floats to the top

Peacefully ,

Guerilla

A superior method of composting is vermiculture (worms). All you need is a few cinder blocks on the bare ground to keep it from spreading out. Dump kitchen wastes (coffee grounds, egg shells, rinds, rotten food--but no meat or butter/oils), worms, and let nature do the rest.
Once a month (except when it's cold) lay a stiff mesh screen over a wheelbarrow, shovel the composted/composting materiel on the screen and collect the richest soil available in the wheelbarrow. Remove any worms that fall through and put them back in the pile.
You can get a starter set of the best type of worms for this from wormsway.com real cheap.

Good for fishin' too.

Peace out

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When I plant outside I usually had no proablem finding good soil, but when I did run into bad soil, I would just plant them in 5gal. pails with composted dirt or store bought potting soil. The plants still grow nice and big and I knew exactly what went into them.

if you're not gonna mix mother natures soil, then plant them in buckets...you can get 5 gallon...or use TRASH BAGS...*compliments of MTv *...dig a hole, put the trash bags in the holes, then fill them in with potting soil....you could probably put 2 plants in each bag, but I would go with one, just so the roots have plenty of room

Peacefully ,

Guerilla

ever see country canada on pottv? very informative... he slogs through mud with trashbags fulla soil. then transplants into the water proof trashbags

If there are bears in your neck of the woods, don't use trash bags.
The bears dig 'em up/rip 'em open looking for food.
My experience with trash bags. I've also grown in grow bags and had a 25% loss of yield.

Peace out