Optimum Soil pH Levels for Trees, Shrubs, Vegetables, and Flowers
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Fall Vegetable Gardening
Fall Garden Cleanup
Garden Soil Preparation
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I have an area under my bay window that I like to plant some flowers in but for 2 years now as much as I remove these weeds and heavily tangled roots of some kind and turn the soil they keep coming back. Before I had any plants there I even tried a professional weed killer and still they came back. I now don't want to use any strong chemical because I do have a beautiful Hibiscus at one end and in the middle I have a clematis I had for years and don't want to lose them. I tried the black weed netting and the weeds just come thru it. Please help me by telling me what I can do once and for all to get rid of these weeds & roots. Thank you for any and all help.
Several inches of mulch tends to smother weeds. Here’s more on that aspect: http://www.almanac.com/blog/gardening/garden-journal/mulching-guide-benefits-and-downsides-mulch
Some will pop through mulch. Look here for more advice on identifying and dealing with specific weeds: http://www.almanac.com/content/weed-control-how-reduce-weeds-your-garden and here: http://www.almanac.com/content/common-garden-weeds
Your weeds will tell you a lot about your soil. See here: /news/gardening/gardening-advice/weeds-indicator-plants
Finally, you might find this video advice helpful (and maybe redundant): http://www.almanac.com/video/how-get-rid-weeds
my carrots have got like a rust ring around them and not sure if its a bug or a maggot that's in my garden. what can I do about it and my ph is sitting around 7.5 - 8. do I need a fertilizer to bring ph down and, if so, what kind?
That maggot could be the larval stage of the Carrot Rust Fly, which is a fairly common pest with carrots. Control lies with knowing its life cycle and making cultural changes to discourage its growth next year. For example, planting later than the end of May will avoid the first generation of egg-laying flies. Also, harvest early and completely (leave no plant behind). A sprinkling of rock phosphate around the base of the plant might inhibit egg laying. Covering the plant with a floating row cover is highly recommended.
Is putting the fall leaves on your garden for the winter good for your garden? We live in the river valley in Arkansas....
Yes, there are many benefits to using leaves in the garden. Read our new article about this very topic here:
this is going to be sweet
Trees, Shrubs, Vegetables, and Flowers
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An accurate soil test will indicate your soil's pH level will specify the amount of lime or sulfur that is needed to bring it up or down to the appropriate level. A pH of 6.5 is just about right for most home gardens, since most plants thrive in the 6.0 to 7.0 (slightly acidic to neutral) range. Some plants (blueberries, azaleas) prefer more strongly acidic soil, while a few (ferns, asparagus) do best in soil that is neutral to slightly alkaline. Acidic (sour) soil is counteracted by applying finely ground limestone, and alkaline (sweet) soil is treated with gypsum (calcium sulfate) or ground sulfur.
Common Name Optimum pH Range
Trees and Shrubs
Apple 5.0-6.5
Ash 6.0-7.5
Azalea 4.5-6.0
Basswood 6.0-7.5
Beautybush 6.0-7.5
Birch 5.0-6.5
Blackberry 5.0-6.0
Blueberry 4.0-6.0
Boxwood 6.0-7.5
Cherry, sour 6.0-7.0
Chestnut 5.0-6.5
Crab apple 6.0-7.5
Dogwood 5.0-7.0
Elder, box 6.0-8.0
Fir, balsam 5.0-6.0
Fir, Douglas 6.0-7.0
Hemlock 5.0-6.0
Hydrangea, blue-flowered 4.0-5.0
Hydrangea, pink-flowered 6.0-7.0
Juniper 5.0-6.0
Laurel, mountain 4.5-6.0
Lemon 6.0-7.5
Lilac 6.0-7.5
Maple, sugar 6.0-7.5
Oak, white 5.0-6.5
Orange 6.0-7.5
Peach 6.0-7.0
Pear 6.0-7.5
Pecan 6.4-8.0
Pine, red 5.0-6.0
Pine, white 4.5-6.0
Plum 6.0-8.0
Raspberry, red 5.5-7.0
Rhododendron 4.5-6.0
Spruce 5.0-6.0
Walnut, black 6.0-8.0
Willow 6.0-8.0
Vegetables
Asparagus 6.0-8.0
Bean, pole 6.0-7.5
Beet 6.0-7.5
Broccoli 6.0-7.0
Brussels sprout 6.0-7.5
Cabbage 6.0-7.0
Carrot 5.5-7.0
Cauliflower 5.5-7.5
Celery 5.8-7.0
Chive 6.0-7.0
Cucumber 5.5-7.0
Garlic 5.5-8.0
Kale 6.0-7.5
Lettuce 6.0-7.0
Pea, sweet 6.0-7.5
Pepper, sweet 5.5-7.0
Potato 4.8-6.5
Pumpkin 5.5-7.5
Radish 6.0-7.0
Spinach 6.0-7.5
Squash, crookneck 6.0-7.5
Squash, Hubbard 5.5-7.0
Tomato 5.5-7.5
Flowers
Alyssum 6.0-7.5
Aster, New England 6.0-8.0
Baby's breath 6.0-7.0
Bachelor's button 6.0-7.5
Bee balm 6.0-7.5
Begonia 5.5-7.0
Black-eyed Susan 5.5-7.0
Bleeding heart 6.0-7.5
Canna 6.0-8.0
Carnation 6.0-7.0
Chrysanthemum 6.0-7.5
Clematis 5.5-7.0
Coleus 6.0-7.0
Coneflower, purple 5.0-7.5
Cosmos 5.0-8.0
Crocus 6.0-8.0
Daffodil 6.0-6.5
Dahlia 6.0-7.5
Daisy, Shasta 6.0-8.0
Daylily 6.0-8.0
Delphinium 6.0-7.5
Foxglove 6.0-7.5
Geranium 6.0-8.0
Gladiolus 5.0-7.0
Hibiscus 6.0-8.0
Hollyhock 6.0-8.0
Hyacinth 6.5-7.5
Iris, blue flag 5.0-7.5
Lily-of-the-valley 4.5-6.0
Lupine 5.0-6.5
Marigold 5.5-7.5
Morning glory 6.0-7.5
Narcissus, trumpet 5.5-6.5
Nasturtium 5.5-7.5
Pansy 5.5-6.5
Peony 6.0-7.5
Petunia 6.0-7.5
Phlox, summer 6.0-8.0
Poppy, oriental 6.0-7.5
Rose, hybrid tea 5.5-7.0
Rose, rugosa 6.0-7.0
Snapdragon 5.5-7.0
Sunflower 6.0-7.5
Tulip 6.0-7.0
Zinnia 5.5-7.0
Last autumn I applied dried chicken manure (25 oz. over 30 sq. ft.) to my garden and worked it in w/compost I than put a ground cover of leaves over the winter. I intend to grow vegetables i.e. Tomatos, Beans, and some flowers. Will my soil be too sour and if so what can can I apply to counteract the effects?
Hi, Craig, that sounds like an enviable mix. Kudos! As for the pH, this is a different matter. Get yourself a test kit at a nursery or garden supply store (they are relatively inexpensive at a couple of dollars or even less) and check your garden. We would not want to hazard a guess at the current pH; best to know for sure.
Tomatoes like a pH of 5.5 to 7.5 and beans, being companions to tomatoes, generally like it about the same (6.0 to 7.5). Flowers can vary a bit but most are in the same range. See here for details: http://www.almanac.com/content/ph-preferences
