Liming With Garden Lime – How, When And How MuchThe universal solution for raising soil pH is liming with garden lime. Most vegetables, and all garden gnomes, prefer a slightly acid or neutral soil pH of 6.5 on a scale of 1 to 14 with 7 as neutral. Many soils are too acid to grow a great garden. Start with a soil test, and if your soil is below 6.5 adding lime is the answer. When and How Liming while plants are growing may harm those plants, so wait until after the garden season. It is best to add garden lime in the fall and let it break down over the winter. Planting two to three months later will allow the soil pH to adjust. Lime (which is alkaline) and fertilizer (which is acidic) do not play well together, so add them to the soil at different times. The exceptions are manure or organic matter. These can also be added and worked in during the fall or winter. Sprinkle the lime over the soil surface and rake it into the top couple of inches, letting it naturally work down to the root zone by spring. Do not till it deeply into the soil, it will leach down soon enough. A soil test will tell you how often to lime, but usually every couple of years is sufficient. What type? The most common lime used in the garden is agricultural lime or ground limestone (calcium carbonate). It contains about 50% calcium, another essential plant nutrient . Once available only as a powder, pelletized lime is now offered as well. It can be dispensed from fertilizer spreaders and isn’t as messy to work with. Some gardeners prefer dolomite lime, which contains maganesium as well as calcium. Magnesium is an essential nutrient, though needed in smaller quantities than calcium. I alternate the use of agricultural lime and dolomite, to get a better balance of nutrients. Never use hydrated or slaked lime, sometime called quicklime. While this substance has many commercial uses, it is much too caustic for the garden. How Much? Starting a new garden? Test the soil. A comprehensive soil test will reveal, among other things, the soil pH of your native soil. It will also indicate how much lime is required to raise pH, usually given in pounds per acre or per 1000 square feet. Thereafter, you can test the pH yourself with a simple inexpensive meter. Do not add lime unless the test reveals a need. Usually application rates are 2 to 3 pounds per 100 square feet of garden area, every couple of years to raise the pH from 5.5 to 6.5. Never apply more than 5 pounds per 100 square feet at any one time. Bringing the pH level of your garden to a near neutral range will greatly increase your harvest. Happy gardening, Geefrank
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