Garden soil testing - How important is it

[@stantheman5163]

Wow fantastic opening shot and the garden looks great! Although your dad isn't around, we are proud of what you have done. I remember the video of all the hard work you put into creating the beds and amending the soil. Great job! Looks like you will have to start taking the vegetables to the Farmer's Market and open up an organic food stall. LOL.

[@petebeasttexashomesteading]

Thank you, I really appreciate that. Yeah I just might have to start selling the vegetables. 🙂 👍

[@moniqueramirez3202]

Pete! New Subscriber here! I recently moved to Central TX. I found your channel yesterday by seeking more info on the Back to Eden & I have been binge watching. I am learning so much, I feel like I am back in college, taking notes, researching new things I have no clue about. I know zero about gardening but have watched your garden failures and now your garden successes. I am so happy for you. All that hard work has paid off...great job Farmer Pete! Keep it up! I am so blessed by your channel & the comments of your subscribers. A wealth of knowledge. Thank you!

[@petebeasttexashomesteading]

Thank you, you're very kind. Yes I had three years of failure with the BTE garden. Now I understand that the soil has to be worked and amended in order to feed the plants. I've had many BTE purists call me things I can't repeat but my success speaks for it self. Glad to have you as a subscriber. 🙂

[@moniqueramirez3202]

@@petebeasttexashomesteading Thank you! Glad to be subscriber! Is there anyone you would suggest I should also consider watching who lives in our wonderful state of Texas? I also watched a few videos from Eric's channel too. Anyone else?

[@petebeasttexashomesteading]

Texas Prepper 2 has lots of gardening videos, you can check him out here: kzbin.infovideos

[@eozen81]

Hey Pete, you and family suffered a lot but at the end here you are. Awesome man, awesome. I share your happiness. And I wish you the best with your garden.

[@petebeasttexashomesteading]

I appreciate that, thank you👍

[@christiebetts4970]

Beautiful garden! I haven't had my soil tested yet,but composting has made a world of differience in my garden

[@petebeasttexashomesteading]

👍

[@frozencancukfinearts]

Wow, the first of your videos I watched was about how the Back to Eden Garden did not work for you. Watched how you fixed the problem and now how great your results are. Fantastic work Pete. You must have been very discouraged with the failure, no doubt you had high hopes. I am happy to see how you persisted and now the great success you are enjoying. I have subscribed.

[@petebeasttexashomesteading]

Thank you, yes three years of complete failure and now I'm really happy with the new garden. Testing the soil for minerals and amending it with organic composted materials is the way it worked for me.

[@lodprice2343]

Pete, you certainly brought the garden a long ways. If memory serves me correctly, I remember you doing a video where you collected the soil samples. Your garden looks great. In our neck of the woods through the local extension office, a person can send the soil samples to Louisiana State University (LSU) for testing. It too is done exactly as you described using 3 samples. Again, your garden looks great.

[@petebeasttexashomesteading]

Thank you 🙂

[@petebeasttexashomesteading]

I forgot to mention that the soil testing at laboratories and state agricultural colleges use strong acids test which is not accurate because plant root systems don't use strong acids but use a weak acid. You can read about it here under types of soil testing aglabs.com/services/soiltesting.html

[@iartistdotme]

Congrats! I remember the first time we ate potatoes from our garden instead of the store. Incredible. I didn't know potatoes could taste so good. Your enthusiasm reminded me of this. Thanks

[@petebeasttexashomesteading]

Awesome 👍

[@dahltonguilbeau4354]

Thanks Pete! I'm pretty much in the same boat with the B2E garden. Glad I found your channel. Old told man told me that he uses the restaurant style ketchup bottles with a point tip nozzle. He fills that with mineral oil. Then applies a small amount where the corn silk and the corn head are. He says it keeps worms out.

[@petebeasttexashomesteading]

Yeah the BTE is not a one size fits all like the videos make you believe. We wasted three years and thousands of dollars just to have nitrogen pulled out of the soil when the chips break down and weeds grow after that. Then you have to put more wood chip down to suppress the weeds and start the whole process over again. I'll definitely look into the mineral oil trick Thanks.

[@RichBurris2]

It feels great when a plan comes together.

[@petebeasttexashomesteading]

👍

[@catfunkcriteser3495]

Remember you can always donate your extra to your local food bank. It will be the best they have ever seen! Great Job!

[@petebeasttexashomesteading]

Thank you

[@oddopops1327]

Congratulations Pete! 😊

[@petebeasttexashomesteading]

Thank you 🙂

[@iwantosavemoney]

Am super happy for you my friend I really like your story it is inspirational. Good stuff

[@petebeasttexashomesteading]

Thank you

[@alann8117]

Heartwarming video. Thanks Pete

[@petebeasttexashomesteading]

Thank you 🙂

[@Kathleen67.]

Great video, thank you for sharing knowledge with us! Blessings.

[@petebeasttexashomesteading]

Thank you 🙂

[@dawncooper4739]

Garden looks awesome!

[@petebeasttexashomesteading]

Thank you

[@homesteadandhustle6921]

Great information. New sub here. We just found your channel. Can’t wait to watch more of your videos. We are homesteading in Texas also.

[@petebeasttexashomesteading]

Awesome and welcome 👍

[@jimjorgensen6003]

Pete, use mineral oil on your corn apply it to the silk to keep the worms out.

[@Livepilot512]

Great video!

[@petebeasttexashomesteading]

Thank you

[@garywylie2231]

I had my soil tested by international ag labs as you suggested and ordered my amendments from fixmysoil.com. thanks for the suggestions. My soil is awful also. Mine is more sand than clay.

[@petebeasttexashomesteading]

Awesome, make sure you amend the soil with some compost and manure, till it into your soil and then broadcast or spread the minerals by hand over the soil and then lightly rake it into the top two inches and then you're ready to start planting.

[@carolleenkelmann3829]

Ah, gee Pete, don't plant less for next year. I could think of a few people who would GLADLY PAY for such fresh and healthily grown vegies such as yours. Set up a market day and sell your vegies ! Pay for all that honest work you put into the huge garden and the minerals you had to buy. Those minerals are not going to last forever! Figs! I saw a couple of fig leaves and the only painting around was Mother Nature's Backdrop. How are your figs doing? There's a couple of good advice videos on KZbin on how to handle fig trees. Lots and all interesting and informative. Bon chance and continued good management. Cheers.

[@petebeasttexashomesteading]

Thank you, one of my turkey figs died from disease and two pluots died too 😞 but I'll be replacing them soon. I wish I had more time to sell my veggies, but we'll see.

[@wayneleamon3186]

I sure did miss you. Your channel is one of my favorites. You mentioned some kind of soapy oil to spray on corn. What was that? I live in Tennessee and in our state you can send your soul sample to the St department at the University of Tennessee and have it tested. There is a fee like $20. They'll send back a report.

[@petebeasttexashomesteading]

Thank you, I really appreciate that. I use a solution of 2 tablespoons of dish soap and 1 tablespoon of neem oil to one gallon of water in a pump sprayer on my vegetables, kills the bugs in about 10 seconds. The soil testing at laboratories and state agricultural colleges use strong acids test which is not accurate because plant root systems don't use strong acids but use a weak acid. You can read about it here under types of soil testing aglabs.com/services/soiltesting.html

[@MrDuffy81]

Compost Azomite and worm castings. Will fix any soil.

[@petebeasttexashomesteading]

👍

[@kdegraa]

Good one.

[@petebeasttexashomesteading]

Thank you

[@sgakla]

What did the amendments cost? I see the test pricing on the aglabs site but no mention of cost on the fixmysoil site. I probably overlooked it.

[@petebeasttexashomesteading]

It all depends on your square footage and how depleted your soil is. I had about 1300 lbs of minerals and about 150 lbs of liquid fertilizer and a 50 lb bag of transplant formula all for a 6000 sq ft garden area which cost me about $2,300.00 I still have plenty of minerals and fertilizer left over because I decided to go with beds and put the minerals in the beds rather then all over the garden.

[@sgakla]

Thanks for the info. Judging by your numbers , it's in the $.39 sq/ft range.

[@annegrant8644]

Do you can your vegetables that you grow it's a lot of fun and you have your food all through the winter

[@petebeasttexashomesteading]

👍

[@markd5625]

One variety of watermelon looked to be Black Diamond, is that correct?

[@petebeasttexashomesteading]

It's actually called ancient water melon I bought from www.rareseeds.com/art-combe-s-ancient-watermelon/ There's a story behind the seeds you can see here. kzbin.info/www/bejne/i2HJZnuugM6hp8U

[@annegrant8644]

Oh and don't forget freezing and pickling all those cucumbers I freeze I can and I pickle and I still have vegetables that I grew a year ago

[@petebeasttexashomesteading]

Awesome

[@time2see192]

A-MAZE-ing!!! Hey, if the bugs wont eat the corn- then you shouldn't eat the corn!!! 😅

[@annettenewton6240]

Man I wish I lived close to you, I would help you just to have some fresh stuff. I have not been able to have much garden this year cause I tore my meniscus in my knee. I am 😞.

[@petebeasttexashomesteading]

Ouch! I take hyaluronic acid to add lubrication to the knee and vegetarian chondroitin glucosamine msm to help build the cartilage. It's worked great and my knee pain is gone as long as I don't do heavy squats type lifting.

[@oddopops1327]

👋😊

[@en5788]

Lost me on the long intro