During the growing season, the plants in the garden must be sufficiently fertilized and thus supplied with nutrients. This also includes liming, which should preferably be carried out in spring.
Why and how often should you lime the vegetable garden?
Liming in the vegetable garden is important to provide plants with calcium, improve soil structure and regulate pH. A soil analysis and pH test will help determine the correct amount and type of lime to apply every three years.
Why do you have to lime in the vegetable garden?
Lime fulfills not just one, but various important functions in the garden. Firstly, it would be providing the plants with sufficient calcium, as this is the main component of lime. The mineral is important for water balance and for various metabolic processes in plants. Liming also improves the soil structure (it becomes finer), supports the beneficial bacteria and microorganisms in the soil and thus humus production and, last but not least, has a direct influence on the pH value of the soil.
How to determine the correct lime requirement
Consequently, you shouldn't just go for it when it comes to liming, perhaps following the motto “A lot helps a lot”. In this case, you could cause a lot of damage, because an excess of lime prevents the plants from absorbing other, equally important nutrients. Deficiency diseases and thus a poor harvest would result. Instead, the amount of lime required depends on the given soil conditions, although you should first have a soil analysis carried out. How to find out if you have a
- clay soil
- sandy loam soil
- loamy sandy soil
- or pure sandy soil
have. With the help of a simple pH test (€12.00 on Amazon) you can determine in the spring whether liming is necessary and how much lime you actually need. The guideline is that the heavier the soil, the higher the pH value should be. A clay soil ideally has a pH value of 7, a sandy loam soil should be at 6.5, a loamy sandy soil at six and a sandy soil at 5.5. If this value is stable, add 150 grams of carbonated lime per square meter every three years garden soil. However, if the value is higher, it must be 250 grams of carbonated lime.
Not all lime is the same – the right type for your garden
On normal garden soils you should use algae lime or carbonated lime, whereas quicklime is only suitable for very heavy clay soils. Light soils often only require rock dust, which contains not only lime but also potassium, magnesium and various trace elements.
Tip
Lime must be worked deep into the soil, but it must be dry. Liming is usually done in spring. But if it is rainy and wet, it is better to postpone the measure until autumn.