Archives: 2008 August

Loamy soil will help you produce a productive, healthy garden. The soil should crumble in your hands and should have a minimal clay and sand mixture. Too much water is retained by clay-like soil, which doesn’t allow for proper drainage. Nutrients are lacking in andy soil, and there is little support and water retention.

Good fertilizer and the right amount of water are needed to produce loamy soil.

But before you add anything, know what you’re starting with. A simple and inexpensive soil testing kit will tell you what kind of soil you have. It will test for levels of nutrients and for pH. Some vegetables like a more acidic soil, others prefer an alkaline earth. Most will do best in an intermediate range of 6.0-6.5.

Adding sulfur or lime can adjust the pH. Adding fertilizer will supply those nutrients. pH should be adjusted several months before planting. In some climates, that means doing so after the prior years harvest, before the snows start.

Three weeks before planting, if you have created a compost pile, add the material to the topsoil. This allows the soil time to naturally leach the needed nutrients into the soil before you plant. The process can be hurried along by tilling it into the top few inches. You can also enrich your soil by adding artificial or organic fertilizer (such as NPK 8-8-8). Do this right before planting. In most cases 20 pounds per thousand square feet is sufficient.

There’s nothing better than a salad made with fresh lettuce from the garden. Adding lettuce to your garden can be a welcome addition. Not only is healthy and tasty to eat but it needs very little space to grow. But there are some guidelines you should know before planting lettuce.

To grow lettuce or any other vegetable, you need to have good soil. For lettuce, keep the nitrogen level high by using 30-10-10 NPK (nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium) fertilizer. This will provide the lettuce with the nutrition it needs to produce healthy leaves.

When planting lettuce seeds make sure they are planted 1/8-3/8 inch deep, separated by 6-12 inches (2-3.5 m) from the next plant. Romaine lettuce can be planted closer together but other crisp lettuce need more space. If you plant in rows, keep the rows separated by about 20 inches (6m).

The roots of lettuce do not grow very deep so it is important to weed often. Many other grasses and plants with deeper root growth can invade the lettuce.

Since their roots aren’t very deep you’ll also need to be diligent about weeding around lettuce plants. Many grasses and other plants can compete well because their roots go down to deeper soil. Infrequent but deep watering, letting the top layers dry out, will give most an advantage. But lettuce doesn’t have that advantage, so you’ll need to help them.

If you’re looking to develop an impressive, muscular physique, well-developed shoulders are an absolute must. Thick, round “cannon ball delts” will make your upper body appear wide and powerful and will help immensely in creating the v-tapered look that all bodybuilders strive for. Many serious lifters will argue that underneath clothes, muscular shoulders make the greatest contribution toward the overall appearance of the upper body.

The deltoid (shoulder) is a large three-headed muscle group consisting of the anterior (front), medial (side) and posterior (rear) deltoid. The basic function of the deltoid muscle is to rotate and lift the arm. In order to develop massive, all three heads of the shoulder must be fully developed. It is also important to develop the trapezius muscles as well since they extend from the neck down between the shoulder blades.

The overhead press is the meat and potatoes of effective shoulder training. There isn’t a single lift out there that can match the incredible shoulder-stimulating effect of a basic overhead pressing movement. Both a barbell and a dumbbell can be used for this exercise, but dumbbells are the best overall choice.

The purpose of dumbbells is to add mass and fully develop the shoulder muscles. Since this is the primary mass building movement in this routine, it is best to start your workout with this exercise. The beginning of your workout is when you are the freshest and have the most energy. This will allow you to handle the heaviest weight possible with the most intensity and focus. I prefer dumbbell presses to other pressing exercises for a couple of reasons.