Its easy to add lime to soil to make it more alkaline, which is useful if you want to grow e.g. brassicas, but what if you over do it? Here’s a useful tip from TS at Casa Mariposa:
“Cottonseed meal will also help acidify the alkaline portion of your garden if you want to change the pH. It will also make your worms happy!”
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That’s handy piece of information Janet, thanks for sharing! We’ll be acidying certain parts of our garden to keep some ericaceous plants looking healthy.
I just need to research now where I can get cottonseed meal…:)
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Hi there, glad it might be helpful! Did this pop up in my blog feed? It wasn’t supposed to but I’ve been having a few problems…
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Hi, loving the blog its very easy on the eyes and helps to see the results of others. Just one thing though, I always thought that worms do not like acidic soil hence the adding of flowers of Sulphur and Iron to lawns as a way to deter them and their pesky casts?
Also adding lots of well rotted organic matter releases nitrogen and over time will decrease ph, increase acidity…bit slow though and takes a couple seasons.
Keep up with the allotment posts inspiring!
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Hi there, glad you are enjoying the blog! Hadn’t heard about worms not liking acidic soil. Maybe it depends on how acidic it is? My garden soil is slightly acidic and I have lots of worms. I think in general the well rotted organic matter is a better way to go, but if you’ve inherited a very limey allotment, like I just have, or just over do the lime, I think this might be useful. But I’ve not tried it yet!