Garden lime application can help improve soil quality, but before making this decision it’s essential that you conduct a soil test first.
Experienced gardeners know that lime takes several months to react with soil, shifting its pH level from acidic to alkaline. Therefore, it’s ideal to add lime in autumn – at least three months prior to spring planting when enough time will have passed so it can work its way through.
Spring
Garden lime is an inexpensive and simple way to quickly reduce soil pH, helping your grow healthier crops. For optimal results, apply it in autumn and allow it to fully integrate with the soil before planting again in spring.
Seasoned gardeners know that applying lime to your garden in the autumn, at the end of the growing season, is the optimal time. This gives it time to work its magic on the soil before the spring planting season starts, enabling you to plant seedlings or transplants immediately after applying lime.
Before spreading garden lime, it’s essential to understand which plants can and cannot benefit. While any vegetable or flower garden could profit from less acidic soil conditions, certain crops like kale and spinach require higher than average pH for maximum yields; while cantaloupe, squash and parsnips thrive with slightly alkaline pH conditions – you should lime these early spring.
When applying garden lime, select a dry day when soil moisture levels are between moist and wet – this will minimize dust while spreading it and ensure it absorbs into the ground quickly and completely.
Liming material should be evenly spread over your garden bed according to soil-test recommendations, using either a spreader or tiller to mix it in and reach all parts of the bed where plant roots reach for it. Lime left sitting atop of soil can become exposed over time, so for maximum effectiveness make sure it has been worked thoroughly into it’s entirety before leaving it on top for long.
Any plants considered “acid-loving” should be given extra lime to prevent further acidity; these include blueberries, ornamental shrubs such as rhododendrons and hollies, as well as any plants growing below their soil-free zone (an umbrella-like area under which roots extend). When adding garden lime to a flower bed containing acid-loving plants, make sure it’s done at least two months in advance of planting season.
Fall
Garden lime should be applied to vegetable and flower beds in autumn to raise soil pH and get them ready for spring planting. Since liming takes months to adjust soil acidity levels, applying it now rather than waiting until spring can make this more efficient; its effectiveness being further increased during cold winter months without competition for moisture from plant roots, with favorable weather speeding it along more effectively than usual.
Addition of too much garden lime can upset the pH balance, so it is wise to consult a soil test report and follow its recommendations for applying an adequate amount. Many state Cooperative Extension offices offer comprehensive soil tests at reasonable costs and following their directions on collecting soil samples is the most reliable way of making sure you apply just the right amount of lime.
Different vegetables thrive at different pH levels. Blueberries thrive best in our naturally acidic soils with a pH between 4.0 and 5.3, while brassicas such as cabbage, Brussels sprouts, kale and swede tend to be susceptible to clubroot disease in neutral to slightly alkaline environments. To increase disease resistance and maximize yields from these crops, their growing conditions must come as close to ideal as possible.
Garden lime can help make your own soil more alkaline without overdoing it, making clay and compacted soils more alkaline by encouraging tiny particles of dirt to combine into larger crumbs. However, the process of balancing acidity levels with garden lime may take months or years – that’s why it is essential that soil testing be completed prior to applying any amendments such as garden lime.
Garden lime can be purchased as powder and spread with either a drop spreader or hand, though for larger gardens requiring lots of lime it might be easier to rent an agricultural lime pulverizer or fertilizer spreader machine to do it for you. When spreading granular garden lime be sure to wear protective gear such as gloves and masks so as to avoid inhaling dust particles; once applied it’s also important to till the garden so as to thoroughly incorporate its material into its topsoil.
Winter
Addition of garden lime is necessary to neutralize its acidic environment; however, too much lime may result in too much alkalinity for your soil to tolerate. Applying lime should ideally take place during fall; if that deadline slips by, spring can still work just as well. It is ideal to test your soil’s pH before applying any garden lime; contact your Cooperative Extension Service or purchase an over-the-counter kit for this task.
Most vegetables thrive best in alkaline soil with a pH level over 7, but there are some exceptions such as squash which needs slightly acidic soil (pH 6 to 7). Also among these veggies that prefer an acidic environment include carrots, corn and potatoes.
Apply garden lime to your vegetable garden on a dry day when soil conditions are at least somewhat damp but not wet. Be sure to wear protective gear such as gloves and a breathing mask while spreading the limeing material, then till up your garden and mix the lime into its soil well.
Garden lime comes in powder and pulverized forms as well as liquid or granular solutions, so be sure to follow any directions on the package on how much to apply.
How much garden lime you need depends on your natural soil pH, the type of crop being grown and size of garden. To raise pH from 5.5 to 6.0 on sand soil will require 700g, while for loam soil it could require 800g.
As soon as you’ve added garden lime to the soil, it will take several months before it has fully adjusted to your conditions and can support sowing vegetables. Therefore, it is advisable to wait until spring before beginning this endeavor.
If you do decide to plant in the spring, take special care in selecting which vegetables to grow. Certain species prefer lower soil pH levels and can be severely compromised by adding too much garden lime; for instance if growing cantaloupe it would be wiser to opt for low doses rather than high ones.
Summer
An extensive soil test is the ideal way to determine whether and how much lime your garden requires, with State Cooperative Extension offices offering these tests at reasonable rates. They’ll also offer advice for amending your soil with lime and other nutrients. You could purchase a pH meter as an estimate, though for best results visit your local gardening center for professional testing services.
Lime is an effective soil amendment at any time of year, but fall applications offer specific advantages. As it takes some time for soils to react with lime, applying it in autumn allows it time to raise pH before spring planting begins and will have time to make its way deep into the root zone for maximum benefit.
To effectively raise soil pH to an optimum level, the amount of lime needed will depend on your specific soil type. Clay soils require more lime than sandy ones in order to reach an acceptable pH balance; soil tests can show you exactly how much garden lime you require based on testing your particular soil type; it’s available at gardening centers and hardware stores locally.
If your soil test suggests using lime, make sure that garden lime rather than quicklime or slaked lime is used – these fast-acting options can damage soil life. Calcium sulfate is widely available at agricultural supply stores as pelletized form and can easily be spread with a fertilizer spreader or tilled into the soil by hand.
Numerous vegetables flourish when grown in soil that is slightly alkaline, including tomatoes, radishes, and carrots. Tomatoes require high soil pH levels so their essential nutrients are accessible; lime can help prevent blossom end rot or any other issues related to too-acid conditions in their growing conditions. Other plants that benefit from alkaline soil include beans, peas and other legumes.