AboutThe Long Island Gardener Expertise Do you know the wrong fertilizer will keep your plants from blooming?
Do you know that too much Nitrogen can kill your grass, even if it does not burn the roots? Do you know that Roses need a LOT of Nitrogen to bloom -- and why is that?
There's some complex chemistry in those plant foods. The secrets behind N-P-K are the key to the ultimate lawn, the the biggest flowers, the most fruits and vegetables. And if you don't get it right, you could be sorry.
I'll show you what you did wrong, and how to fix it.
Experience Homeowner with gardens indoors and outdoors, lawns back and forth. I wrote my first gardening column for our college newspaper, teaching roomates about the right way to feed those windowsills gardens. Today I look for challenges. Organic Fertilizers are the key to proper feeding of all our plants. Can you make your own fertilizer? Some people think so -- but there are side effects. I have been there, done that for 54 years and there is nothing like the voice of experience when it comes to Horticulture and Fertilizers.
Publications Numerous and sundry but only in college did I write about plants.
Education/Credentials B.A., Botany and Mass Communications.
Question Due to the heavy winter this year, our septic overflowed and ran downhill to our garden plot about 50 yards away. The entire area was not flooded, but the garden area received some spillage for sure...about 25% of the garden area I would say.
I tilled the area before I realized it had happened. Is this are ruined for vegetables now?
Answer Raw sewage contaminated Soil is absolutely NOT useable for at least 1 season. Look at it this way: Even if it COULD be used -- if I said 'sure, use it, no problem' -- you would be squirming over it every time you picked a lettuce leaf or a carrot. You'd worry about the health of anyone you fed it to. And that sir is the best case scenario. The worst case scenario -- you'd be on the 7 o'clock News for several days, not to mention Yahoo! News, next it would be Larry King and Nancy Grace, for all the wrong reasons.
Sorry, but this is not going to happen in this particular real estate in the Summer of '08.
Just be very grateful you DID realize what had happened, in time.
Could be worse. You could have vegetables ready to harvest. That would be worse.
By the way, do you know you can have your Soil tested for fecal contamination? There are labs that can do very realible evaluation of Soil that may or may not be contaminated. If such a lab signs off on your Soil, there is no doubt in my mind at least that it would be safe this Summer to use for food. Tell me your location and I'll be happy to find one or more for you. These things happen.
