Which Fertilizer??

[zh97]

Well, I have been pouring over the seed catalog I received from Peaceful Valley and have picked out many things I would like to order. Seeds, bare root starts, those types of things. Where I get TOTALLY lost is in the pages and pages of fertilizers. Why so many?

So tell me about fertilizer. If you were to purchase one organic type "multipurpose" fertilizer for your vegetable garden, what would it be? Even better, if you were buying from this site: http://www.groworganic.com/default.h...theses=6616949
What fertilizer would you chose?

Thanks for any ideas!

[Owen'nZoe]

Is none an acceptable answer? Because unless you know that your soil has a particular soil deficiency, I'd just put on a couple inches of compost and call it a day.

If you've had a soil test and know your soil has a deficiency, you can pick a fertilizer that is right for your soil. If you've never had a soil test done and want to, your local extension office is a great place to try.

[FarmerCathy]

Depends on what your planting. I agree most of the time I just add compost. I try to put in a cover crop most years and then add compost on top of that after I cut down the cover crop. It would be good if you could do a soil test every couple years. You can contact your local Agriculture Extension office get a test done.

If your planting something like blueberries. I would definitely use supplements. They need acidic soil. I did this last year for my tomato plants. I think I needed to boost my soil first and actually get them tied up, but ya know, sometimes life gets crazy and you don't get to that.

I Peaceful Valley by the way. They are local for me and I love them.

Let us know if you have specific questions about specific crops. I also use a fertilizer for my corn, they are heavy feeders.

[zh97]

Originally Posted by Owen'nZoe

Is none an acceptable answer?

Yes, and it is the answer I like to hear I suppose I just get confused when I think Seeds+soil+water+sun = yummy summer veg, but then there are at least 40 more pages of items associated with "gardening" and it makes it feel like I'm missing something.

OMG Farmer Cathy, I went to that link you posted and the thought of planting fish heads just made me LOL! Her method does seem to fit my frugal spirit though. I love how everything she uses could be found around the house, well, except for the fish heads I suppose. I wonder why she only does this with tomatoes. Why not the other veggies too? Thanks for the link.

Also, about the cover crop. That was also in the catalog. When do you plant that? is it something that you just spread all over the surface of your planting area? Once it grows and you "cut it down" does it then stop growing?

Questions, questions!