Gardeners looking to achieve a successful vegetable garden need to use proper vegetable garden fertilizer techniques to get there.
How much fertilizer you use will depend on the type of soil in your garden and the crops you are growing.
Fertility requirements also differ from season to season for each soil type.
If you have your own compost pile and have soil rich in organic matter you will not need to add too much vegetable fertilizer.
As a gardener you should be familiar with the kinds of plants and fertilizer amounts they require.
For example, vine plants do not need too much fertilizer while root plants need large amounts of fertilizer.
Using organic matter helps to improve the quality of the soil and release minerals, nutrients and other minerals from the soil for the plants.
You can either use organic or non organic vegetable garden fertilizers and we will explore both options in this article to help you make an informed decision.
Organic vegetable garden fertilizers As greater awareness about the harmful effects of pesticides and chemical fertilizers gets created, more people are choosing to go the organic route.
Special shops selling organic produce are being set up all over the world.
Vegetable gardens benefit greatly from organic fertilizers, which are fast becoming the preferred method of fertilization.
Compost is probably the most widely used form of organic fertilizer for the vegetable garden as it promotes healthy soil and plants.
You can start your own compost pile in a compost bin or dig a one foot deep trench at the back of the garden and start collecting lawn clippings, leaves, kitchen scraps, egg shells (crush them), coffee grounds, straw, paper, cardboard and sawdust for the compost pile.
There are plenty more items that can be added depending on what is available to you; each gardener has their own favorites based on what works well for them.
If you have alfalfa or crimson clover growing in your garden, these are good nitrogen producing plants.
They enhance soil fertility greatly and you need to chop them up before the blooms appear and work the plants into the soil.
This is a natural alternative to providing plants with the nitrogen they need for healthy growth and produce.
Wood ash from natural, untreated wood is also good for the soil.
Whatever you add to the soil should be free of toxins, chemicals, pesticides and disease, otherwise the purpose is lost.
Manure is one of the most natural of all fertilizers rich in nitrogen, potassium and other nutrients.
Let the manure rot and dry first before you apply it.
You can also add it to your compost heap.
Non organic vegetable garden fertilizers There are many commercial fertilizers available on the market and you need to apply them a few days before you do your planting or even when the planting is done.
It is best to prepare the soil in advance of the planting to avoid burning of the young seedlings.
Use store bought fertilizer sparingly and with great care.