Hey everyone! I recently had my soil tested and found that while the pH level is 6.5, which is pretty good, my nitrogen levels are extremely low — they didn't even register! I'm working on a 400 square foot garden and I'm thinking about using 3 pounds of each: 10-10-10, 12-0-0 blood meal, and Superthrive 4-4-4. Does this seem like overkill to you? My plan is to mix these fertilizers in, spread them, water the area, wait about two weeks, till the soil, and then plant a week or two after that. This is my first time having to fertilize since I've traditionally let my chickens roam in the garden area during the off-season to help with nutrients. Any advice would be awesome!
4 Answers
Yeah, nitrogen is a tricky one. In nature, there’s always a constant supply being added, but elements like phosphorus develop over ages. Just make sure not to overdo it, since excess nitrogen can be problematic!
Have you considered spot fertilizing instead? Rather than randomly applying fertilizer across the whole garden bed and leaving it exposed, you could just fertilize when you’re planting. It might be more effective that way!
Honestly, you might want to simplify things a bit! Just go for a good organic fertilizer made specifically for veggies and follow the package instructions for amounts. Mixing it into the top couple inches of soil right before planting should do the trick.
I'm curious, what test did you use? A lot of the over-the-counter kits can be pretty unreliable, so just keep that in mind while making your decisions.
That's a great suggestion! I hadn't thought of that. I've never had to fertilize before because we used to rely on our chickens for that, but now that they’re contained, I want to make sure I'm doing it right.