Fertilizing My Vegetable Garden
June 26, 2007
I have vegetable garden envy. Both my sister and my boyfriend’s dad have gorgeous vegetable plants growing in their gardens. They seem to be naturals at growing tomatoes and bush beans whereas mine struggle or wither and die. Looking around on the Internet, I read that vegetable gardens should be amended with 2 - 4 pounds of compost per square foot each year. Looking back, I realized that my two little 40 pound bags of sheep manure for my 128 square foot garden was not enough. By my calculations, I should have put in 256 - 512 pounds or 6 - 12 bags of sheep manure instead of 2 bags.
A week ago I decided to amend the soil by top-dressing it with Nature’s Glory Tomato and All Vegetable Fertilizer, a 5-7-7 slow-release organic fertilizer:
It looks like little pellets and doesn’t smell. I spread it over the garden using a hand spreader and then watered the granules down onto the soil. I also sprinkled a little extra around the base of each tomato plant.
Yesterday, I heavily watered the garden, making sure that enough water had gotten down to the roots of the plants. Then I mixed up some Wegener’s Liquid Organic-based 8-6-6 Fertilizer in a 2 gallon watering can and watered that on to the garden.
It’s a brown slurry that is quite smelly. I’ll probably switch back and forth between these two organic fertilizers over the coming months. Hopefully these two additives will help my garden pop with growth.
June 26, 2007 at 9:01 pm
I have that envy, too! My neighbor’s peas are huge and full of blossoms - mine are short and spindly. They tell me that theirs are in half dirt/half manure - and I did what you did - spread some bags of steer manure. Not nearly enough of them, though! Guess it’s back to the Home Depoe.
March 19, 2008 at 8:28 am
I want to say thank you for the products that you provide. I live in Wewahitchka, Fl. And sometimes the fertlizer is not enough. If this works in my garden I’ll be sure to let you know. I plant tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, squash. Thanks for the info, and the input that help alot. My next question is if the temp, goes down to 45 degrees will it stunt my plants. Thanks
March 19, 2008 at 10:02 am
Hi Barbara, I’m not sure though I think you’re in USDA zone 9. You can read more about plant hardiness zone and temperature here.
July 24, 2008 at 2:45 am
Just wondering if there is such a thing as too much sheep manure? Wouldn’t it be too much nitrate in the soil? What about feeding the plant and taking away from the fruits of the veggies? Let me know please.
Thank You