sbl

Clay soil is very rich in minerals and retains nutrients much better than our sand, This sandy soil is almost the same as pure sandbox sand--no color, no minerals and no capacity to retain nutrients. Organic material aded to the soil, --say 3-4 inches of compost is gone in a yr due to our heat humidity and rainfall--over 5ft on a dry yr and almost 7 ft in some years. It is difficult to maintain a balance of any kind with that kind of leaching. I do not have to worry about burning--I have to add a small amount frequently. I use about 5 pounds a yr of trace mineral mix containing a wide variety of chemical salts, of Iron, Copper, Zinc, Boron, Magnesium, Manganese, and Sulfur. I have a compost pile that is about 4 x 4 x 8 ft--I go through that entire pile in about 6 months adding 2-3 wheelbarrow loads a week.

BTW, I grow tomatoes (no blossom end rot), peppers, eggplant, beans, peas, okra, lettuce, onions, cabbage, broccoli, herbs (dill, thyme, basil, cilantro), snow peas, turnips, kale, mustard greens, and ginger all in an area about 25 x 30 ft. As for fruit trees, I have 7 citrus trees, bananas, peaches, pineapples, pears, pecans, avocados, and figs. Ornamentals--too many to mention.

Edit:I forgot about my blueberries.