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Whiskey, Tango, Foxtrot | The black lake bottom loam here in the middle of the valley is the nicest stuff I've ever seen. I've had people from all over visit and I'm always amused at the reaction when we go dig in the dirt. I'm sure there is something better somewhere, but it's pretty nice stuff.
Now, before you think I'm bragging, there's a lot of other things to consider. Elevation is 4,000' We can get frost any night of the year, middle of the summer included. About a 90 day growing season. Our rainfall is 8-12", so irrigation is required. At the same time irrigation is a challenge because of how soft the ground is. Drainage pumping is required to keep the water table down, but even then if it's too wet during harvest it's not uncommon to have stuff break through and sink. Like trucks, or heavy tractors on narrow tires. Pivots are really tough to use unless you gravel the heck out of the tracks and who wants to haul gravel out into a nice field, and spread it out in circles when you farm straight.
The worst part for me is seeing it blow, the ground gets so mellow on top during the winter it will start to drift and blow. A lot of times is so wet an inch or two down you can't even go out there to work it up to stop it from blowing. It's really never that much, but I hate seeing my good dirt filling in a ditch instead of being in the field, sometimes no matter what you do it happens.
Have a friend who grows lettuce and such in CA, they make a lot more $$$ than us off of some really poor ground, but they have the right climate. He's told me before that their ground isn't very good, but with the crops they raise they can afford to make it good. They wouldn't bat an eye at $1000 worth of fertilizer and soil amendments for a year. | |
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Where is the most fertile soil in the world?
