depleted soil pile, what did I learn?

[Dunge]

I have this place where I throw used soil.
It's under the cat.

I planted a few sunflower seeds, stuck a few chunks of seed potato in there, and put a zinnia seed in the center.
This was a hot and dry summer in interior Alaska.
The vegetative growth was fantastic.
I thought I'd get a basket of potatoes.
Not true.
I could hold the potatoes in two hands and while the sunflowers are massive, they have yet to flower.
I have no expectations on the zinnia, but it seems to be doing better than the others.

So, is this an example of a nitrogen rich, but P & K depleted soil?

 

[vaporedout]

hmmmm wonder if thats why my corn came out weird. i planted it in my old soil pile. it was all purple

 

[squiggly]

hmmmm wonder if thats why my corn came out weird. i planted it in my old soil pile. it was all purple

Some corn is naturally purple. This is a result of anthocyanins. This is actually a favorable trait because the anthocyanins responsible for the purple pigment act as natural pest antifeedants.

 

[vaporedout]

Some corn is naturally purple. This is a result of anthocyanins. This is actually a favorable trait because the anthocyanins responsible for the purple pigment act as natural pest antifeedants.

like this?

i bought these seeds from a feed store in a small little county when i was working up there for a week. they said they were magic beans :) they were local farmers corn, so i had to support that

 

[Dunge]

The pile is an accumulation of used super soils. All organic.
This summer I fortified a portion of this pile with one third the amendments I use to build soil in the first place.
This recycled soil seems to have worked as well as the original.
With organic, microbe rich soil, the plants seem to get what they need.
Clearly, this can't go on forever, but I imagine that the biology in the soil can make up for a wide range of available nutrients.

 

[Seamaiden]

I would surmise that, yes, the soil is depleted of minerals.

 

[urbanfog]

cool looking stalks!