Garden fertilizer

[framer]

New garden stared last yr.Area for garden was cow pasture.Produced very
well.Should aged horse manure be applied every yr.And how much.I would like
to raise bed 6"to? Thanks in advance i know will get some good advice.Framer

 

[jinman]

Tell us what you grew in the garden. If you grew a legume crop like peas, your nitrogen level would be improved. If you grew a nitrogen hungry plant like corn, then you may need to fertilize more. Also, did you compost last year's plants or till them in? A little more info would sure be helpful.

 

[MarkV]

A lot depends on your soil conditions and that is hard to tell without a soil test. Your county extension service or local fertilizer service can have one done for you. I haven't had very accurate results from the home test kits. In my area, with our clay soil, I would add as much AGED manure as I could get.

MarkV

 

[framer]

Thanks for replies.Tomatoes,radishes,onions,beans,squash,peppers is what we
planted last yr. Just tilled garden after season was over.Soil tilled up fine no
clay on top.Framer

 

[jinman]

The only way to know for sure is as MarkV suggested. Your tax dollars pay for that service, so you might as well use it.

The biggest way soil gets depleted is taking crops off the land. Haying operations and production corn farming are two examples. Small vegetable plots are not gonna be a big source of mineral depletion, especially since you tilled the plants all back into the ground. Those nutrients won't immediately return to the ground, but the organic plant material will help to keep the soil loose and hold water. That's basically what peat moss does in flowerbeds.

The fact that you had very good production last year tells me you are probably close to what you need. If you get a soil test and then amend according to those results, you probably won't have to do it again for five years or more. Especially if you rotate your crop a little.

 

[framer]

Thanks for advice.Framer

 

[deereman64]

We were going through some old family documents and I came across this recipe for fertilizer. I dont know if its any good, but the person was a great gardener.

1) 2 bales of peat approx 450 lbs
2) 14 lbs of super phosphate of lime
3) 7 lbs of bone flour
4) 1lb of murat of potash
5) 2lb of nitro chalk.

I dont know if some of this ingredients are available but they sound intriguing

 

[jinman]

We were going through some old family documents and I came across this recipe for fertilizer. I dont know if its any good, but the person was a great gardener.

1) 2 bales of peat approx 450 lbs
2) 14 lbs of super phosphate of lime
3) 7 lbs of bone flour
4) 1lb of murat of potash
5) 2lb of nitro chalk.

I dont know if some of this ingredients are available but they sound intriguing

That's cool! They probably didn't sell very much fertilizer by the bag back then. That looks like a homebrew recipe for garden fertilizer; all except the peat.