where to fertilize

[gregory]

This past year was my first time to plant a garden at my parents house, well
in the last 45 years. During that time it was grass. So I didn't do anything but till the soil & planted southern peas okra eggplants. I had an issue with nematodes
and stunted plants which I attributed partially to a forest on the east & south side and low ph.
I know in my area with the huge amount of rain (70+inches) that the soil was acidic. I sent a soil sample to Auburn. They gave me the recommended amount of lime & they recommended 13-13-13, but I never asked for an organic recommendation. I started building compost piles last may, so I plan on spreading
this out and tilling it in probably the 1st week of march if the soil isn't to wet.

Now what I did on nov 1st was take fresh horse manure & spread it through the entire area, and then the pelletized dolomite lime which auburn suggested to raise the ph. Now I know I probably changed the nitrogen level somewhat and I am considering sending another sample when I till it, and ask for an organic as well as inorganic recommendation. As you can see I want to go in the direction of an organic garden & I realize it doesn't happen overnight which makes me think I may have to do a bit of both until I have a few seasons where I can build my soil up with compost. I have been working on collecting a huge amount of leaves, that I can compost and also till into the soil in the fall. I also plan to use the shredded leaves for mulch around my tomatoes & okra & etc.

So now for simplicity would you spread your fertilizer throughout the garden or just try to shoot for where the plants are. It would seem very expensive if you tried to spread organic like you would say 13-13-13. Plus are there any organic fertilizers that are already made up that would be close to a 10-10-10 Any and all advice would be appreciated.

[Redbaron]

I fertilise just in the area of the plants. In between rows I let the sod grow. I do that 2 ways. First I mulch the rows. The decaying mulch adds nutrients and the decaying sod under the mulch adds nutrients. In each transplant hole I add "special dirt" which is a compost/soil/organic fertiliser/inoculant mix I still experiment with every year. Besides all that I sprinkle coffee grounds and ground eggshells under the mulch to feed the worms. (Free From Starbucks)

Some people think the sod will drain the nutrients like weeds. But actually I have found that after I mow, that nutrients are released which fertilise nearby plants which were not mowed. (in this case my tomatoes) So I try to maximise this part of the "edge effect" by having sod growing a foot away from all my tomato plants and mowing that sod to prevent it from becoming a "weed". Keeps my tomatoes the "dominant" plant, but with full biodiversity of polyculture.

Similar to this but with decomposable mulch Ruth Stout style instead of black plastic mulch. I have posted this before but hopefully it helps if you haven't seen it yet.

[Cole_Robbie]

I am moving to organic fertilizer this coming summer. I am hauling a lot of cow manure to build raised beds.

I am planning on using tomatotone, which is 3-4-6. I like greensand for its mineral composition, so I will use that too.

Other organic fertilizers that are too expensive to incorporate into the soil I will buy in liquid or water-soluable form and apply them with a fertlilizer injector into the drip irrigation. I plan on trying kelp or seaweed extract for sure, as well as molasses to feed the beneficial bacteria.

[marthahill]

Be careful with the cow manure, it is hotter than horse manure and should be composted before adding to the garden. Horse manure can be added tilled in and planted immediately. If there is a stable near you ask about cleaning a few stalls for the manure mixed with hay and till it in. Make sure the bedding they use is ok for the garden.

[Cole_Robbie]

I do not disagree at all. Almost all the cow manure collected comes from feed lots. That's why it can be hot. The cattle are kept in close conditions, and it can be high in salts. Plus, it likely contains traces of whatever they are giving the cows, like antibiotics, dewormers, and other medication.

The manure I'm hauling is the top soil from around the areas where we fed big bales of hay to our cows. They only eat grass. The field has had cattle on it for about 80 years. There's about a foot of topsoil that looks like black compost. The weed seeds in it are bad, but it made my tomatoes a big success last year. I did not haul manure in one row, and noticed a big drop in flavor and sweetness only a few feet away from the manure-fertilized rows. Our gardens are across the road from the cow field, and there's only about 3-4 inches of topsoil. It's light in color and mostly hard clay. The soil has been poorly managed, to say the least.

My neighbors have a horse stable; we get their manure. They board horses and hold riding events. I haven't used any of it for my own gardens, but if I did I would test it for herbicide contamination before spreading it. All you have to do is grow a bean in a cup of it and see if the leaves look right.

[shatbox]

Great video Red!