In my quest to have an organic garden, I've done my homework. It's important for plants to have proper nutrition because that provides your produce with healthy vitamins and minerals. As I was researching, I came across a fellow who is a researcher and has written gardening books and articles for over twenty years. He shared his tried, tested, and true recipe for his fertilizer mix.
Now you may be like me. I wondered what's so bad about commercial fertilizers? I found out that while there are some definite disadvantages, they're not all that bad. However, a little effort to locate these ingredients will pay off big time!
Commercial Fertilizer
The pros to commercial fertilizer are that it's readily available and easy to use. However, most fertilizers intended for vegetable gardens are a 1-1-1 ratio of the three ingredients: nitrogen, phosphate (P2O), and pot ash (K2O).
Nitrogen is important for stem health and green leaves. Too little nitrogen will give you weak plants with yellow leaves. Too much nitrogen will produce gigantic plants that do not produce well because they use up all of their energy growing stems and leaves.
Phosphorus is needed for photosynthesis and the development of good root systems. It also leads to healthy flowering and fruit development. Important stuff.
Pot ash or potassium regulates the water level inside plants. This needs to be just right as it is a plant's life blood.
Commercially available fertilizers rarely contain other useful ingredients. These are the big three, and they're important. However there are some disadvantages to commercially available fertilizers as well.
Commercially available fertilizers are very pure and concentrated. They come in water soluble pellets. If you over water or experience a heavy rain, all of your fertilizer will be gone, leached away into the ground and ground water. Commercially available fertilizers are quite expensive as well. Also, by supplying only the big three, they are incomplete and lack other nutrients required for enzyme production and human health benefits.
Alternatives
These facts led me to investigate alternatives. What I found out is that there are cheap, easy, natural ways to enrich your soil without turning to commercial fertilizers. The two methods that I am going to share with you are for a dry organic fertilizer mix and a method of making free liquid fertilizers! How cool is that?
The pros to both the dry and liquid fertilizers below are that they are natural, cheap, easy to use, and contain not only N-K-P but also important trace minerals. The dry fertilizer mix is naturally slow releasing and is best used before planting and then when your plants are producing. In general, apply 4-6 quarts of dry fertilizer for every 10' x 10' area. The liquid fertilizers are excellent for seedlings, stimulating good root development, and giving plants a quick boost. Give plants a thorough soaking not more often than every two weeks A word of caution about using the liquids: water your plants well before applying liquid fertilizer to prevent them from absorbing too many salts.
Organic Fertilizer Recipe
Ingredients
4 parts seed meal
1/4 part ordinary agricultural lime, finely ground
1/4 part gypsum (or double the agricultural lime)
1/2 part dolomitic lime
1 part bone meal, rock phosphate, or high-phosphate guano
1/2 to 1 part kelp meal (or 1 part basalt dust)
Directions
Once a year, in the spring, before planting, spread and dig in the fertilizer mix.
Low-demand vegetables: beans, carrots, most herbs, peas, kale
1/4 inch layer steer manure or finished compost
4 quarts organic fertilizer mix per 100 sq. ft.
Medium-demand vegetables: bashttp://www.motherearthnews.com/Organic-Gardening/2006-06-01/A-Better-Way-to-Fertilize-Your-Garden.aspxil, cilantro, corn, eggplant, garlic, lettuce, okra, onions, potatoes, spinach (autumn), squash, tomatoes, watermelon, zucchini
1/4 inch layer steer manure or finished compost
4 to 6 quarts organic fertilizer mix per 100 sq. ft.
High-demand vegetables: asparagus, cabbage, cauliflower, cantaloupe, leeks, spinach, bulbing onions, large-fruited peppers, spinach (spring)
1/2 inch layer steer manure or finished compost
4 to 6 quarts organic fertilizer mix per 100 sq. ft.
For more information, see my source. Source:http://www.motherearthnews.com/Organic-Gardening/2006-06-01/A-Better-Way-to-Fertilize-Your-Garden.aspx
About the ingredients, the creator of the formula says not to worry if you cannot locate all of the ingredients. Get the ones you can find. If you're in an urban area, you may have to take a road trip or order online. I live in an area of Texas where farming and ranching are common, so I was able to find my ingredients at a local feed store. I did not find everything on the list this year. I was able to get a 50 pound sack of cotton seed meal for $12, a 50 pound sack of agricultural lime for $10, and a 4 pound sack of bone meal for $2.50. Pretty cheap, huh? That's a lot of fertilizer for under $25!
I simply used an old coffee container as my scoop and made one small batch at a time in a galvanized trash can. A hoe made a great stirrer. A word of warning, though. You should wear a dust mask when measuring and mixing the lime. It's really dusty and can choke you up.
I made mine in small batches to make mixing by hand more manageable. Here is the finished product.
Now for the liquid fertilizer "teas," the ingredients are free! Just use what you have. You're sure to have something on the list. I have chickens, grass, and I live on the coast so when the sea weed washes on shore, I'll be there with my buckets!
To make the teas, get a 5 gallon bucket and add the listed amount of dry ingredient. Then fill the bucket with water. Allow it to sit for 3 days. Strain out the solids and use immediately. Do not try to hang onto it longer as they will ferment and get really yucky. I got an extra bucket and a large colander for use only in the garden.
Homemade Fertilizer Teas
Add the amount of dry ingredients shown below to a 5 gallon bucket. Then fill with water and let sit for 3 days. Strain the tea and dilute as shown. Use no more than every two weeks.
Type Amount Dilute
Grass clippings* 2/3 bucket 1:1
Sea weed 1/5 bucket None
Dried chicken manure in wood shavings. 1/5 bucket 1:1
Urine* 1:20
Apply as a thorough soaking.
* best 3-1-2 nutrient balance
It is important to water plants before applying liquid fertilizer to prevent them from absorbing too many salts.
So you read this correctly. The last "tea" is AKA tee-tee! Lol But it really is good for your plants when diluted. Maybe put a bucket in the garage so your boys can pee in it when they're playing outside. They'll get a kick out of it and so will your plants!
If you plan on using chicken manure, be sure that it is thoroughly dried in the sun to a crumbly stage before using to make a fertilizer tea. This will insure that any possible salmonella is dead.
It would be interesting to see a side by side comparison of the same type of plants in the same soil type with no fertilizer, commercial fertilizer, and these organic fertilizers. Can you tell I'm a scientist? Lol Alas I will not be doing that experiment this year as my hands are quite full. If anyone out there does do a comparison, I'd love to see your photos!
My next post will show you how I prepared my soil for my vegetable beds. I've got a black clay-loam soil that needs a bit of work. Until then, happy gardening!
Keep lovin' and keep cookin'!
Thursday, March 17, 2011 
