Expert: The Long Island Gardener - 7/22/2008

Question
Good morning;
Let me first say, I have a green thumb when it comes to flowers & shrubs, but my finger turns yellow when it comes to vegetables, with the exception of tomatos.

And, I have tomato and cucumber plants that re-seeded themselves from last year, and have decided that they want to grow somewhere outside of the raised bed vegetable garden area, for their production this year.  I had always thought that vegetable plants were supposed to be annuals?

Knowing the soil on which all the greenery in my yard grows, I decided to create a raised bed for my vegetable garden.  Last year, it was too crowed, so I had problems with mushrooms, fungus and the like. I got very few crops that were edible.  

This year, I only put a few things in it, like 3 cucumber plants, 1 squash and 1 melon.  Though I'm getting loads of cucumbers, they aren't green, and don't taste very good.  The skin is yellow to white.
I've read numerous publications and for the life of me, I can't figure out what is missing, though I am sure something is.  As you might expect, each expert has a different opinion of what could be wrong, hence the fact that I'm contacting you.....
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Lora  

Answer
Lora, you need to test your Soil.  What's in it?  What's missing?  You've got to do that.

Whether you're growing Cucumbers or Carrots, Humic Acids are a great way to supercharge your Soil.  This is the magic ingredient produced by Earthworms.

Humic Acid is made up mainly of organic acids: Sulfur, Nitrogen and Phosphorus.  'Humates' are produced during decomposition of organic matter by microbes.  Decaying wood, rotting leaves, Peat -- all RICH sources of Humic Acid.  And they are a key to rich, fertile soil.

What's so good about Humic Acid?

Chemically, it chelates positively charged multivalent Cations (Mg2+, Ca2+, Fe2+).  It converts a number of elements bioavailable for efficient use by plants, and it will chelate metal ions under alkaline conditions.  If you fertilize, thye'll get you the biggest bang for a fertilizer buck.  Humic Acids boost Nitrogen levels in the soil and themselves boast soaring ion exchange capacities.  Seeds planted in it germinate faster and grow healthier.  They aid in photosynthesis and trigger enzyme production.   They are the best thing about Humus.

But you must test your Soil to see what exactly is missing.  Tell me where you're writing from and I'll locate the Cooperative Extension nearby for Soil Testing.

THE LONG ISLAND GARDENER