ORGANIC FERTILIZER RECIPE
I have been using this recipe for my vegetable and flower gardens for about 12 years now. I got this recipe from West Coast Seed Co in BC, Canada. It was always included in their seed catalogue along with tons of great growing tips for every vegie.I make my fertilizer out of just 4 easy to find & cheap ingredients.
All of these ingredients are available at a farm & feed store or agricultural supply store like Buckerfields, and Garden Centers too. They come in large 40 lb bags or sometimes can be purchased in smaller quantities. The most economical way is to buy the large farm size bags as these are priced for the farmer and NOT the wealthy weekend hobby gardener.
SEED MEAL - ground up seeds from canola or alfalfa and other crop plants. This is the ingredient that provide Nitrogen for plants. Nitorogen is the first number of the 3 numbers that rate a fertilizer. For leafy green plants like lettuce or spinach, you need to fertilize with a mix that has a high Nitrogen number.
ROCK PHOSPHATE - this is a fine powder or granules that is made from ground up rock that is high is P or phosphorous. This is the part of the fertilizer that will produce fruit, seeds and flowers in your garden.
SEA KELP - this is a granular mixture of dried kelp plants from the ocean. It provides plants with micro nutrients, vitamins and K or Potassium which helps plants grow healthy root systems as well as flowers.
DOLOMITE LIME - granular or powdered lime made from dolomite rock. This ingredient supplies calcium as well as providing pH balance in the soil that is necessary for nutrient uptake. Here on the WET coast of BC, we go through a lot of lime; our soils are acid and the rainfall is heavy enough to constantly be washing the lime away.
ROCK PHOSPHATE - this is a fine powder or granules that is made from ground up rock that is high is P or phosphorous. This is the part of the fertilizer that will produce fruit, seeds and flowers in your garden.
SEA KELP - this is a granular mixture of dried kelp plants from the ocean. It provides plants with micro nutrients, vitamins and K or Potassium which helps plants grow healthy root systems as well as flowers.
DOLOMITE LIME - granular or powdered lime made from dolomite rock. This ingredient supplies calcium as well as providing pH balance in the soil that is necessary for nutrient uptake. Here on the WET coast of BC, we go through a lot of lime; our soils are acid and the rainfall is heavy enough to constantly be washing the lime away.
I mix these 4 ingredients up in a wheelbarrow, using a shovel and then store it in a big tightly lidded trash can or plastic bin.
Use a large 8 litre or 2 quart drink container with a handle as the 1 part measure,
8 Parts Dry SEED Meal (canola, alfalfa)
+2 Parts Rock Phosphate (Use ONLY 1 Part for leafy greens)
1 Part Dry Kelp Meal
*2 Part Dolomite Lime (optional)
Blend theses ingredients, being careful not to inhale the dust (wear a dust mask)
+ NOTE: Leafy green crops like lettuce and spinach need only 1 Part of the rock phosphate as it is high in phosphorus and will cause your leafy plants to bolt into flowers.
* NOTE: Some vegetable crops, like potatoes do not NOT LIKE LIME. For these crops, as well as acid loving ornamentals such as the Rhododendron and most coniferous trees, you must mix up a lime free batch of fertilizer without the lime.
Basically, you may want to make a batch of lime free
another batch of rock phosphate lowered and a batch of vegie and flower mix. Of course you will want to make smaller amounts of each depending on how many of each type of crop you want to fertilize.
Application: Idealy, this type of fertilizer should go into the soil very early in spring (as soon as the soil can be worked for the top 4-5 inches) or even in the fall under a ground covering of leaves or seaweed or straw. The rock phosphate requires some time in the soil to become available to plants.
Spread one, 750 ml or large, yogurt container for every 40 sq feet of garden area and mix into the top 6 inches of soil lightly. If you are growing in containers, 1/2 - 2/3 cup of organic fertilizer mixed into the bottom 1/2 of the soil in the pot.
In addition to spreading this fertilizer, it will also grow an even better garden if you add at least an inch of worm castings or well composted plant matter to the just the top of your garden bed. As the season progresses, the rain or watering will carry the nutrients down through the soil level to be absorbed by the plants roots.
Believe it or not: THAT'S IT!
Enjoy organic gardening using these plant & mineral based fertilizers knowing you are growing healthier vegies to eat and a healthier soil for future gardens to thrive in. Only one application each growing season is needed as this fertilizer is slow release. You may want to use a liquid organic fertilizer on flowering baskets and vegetable beds every two weeks throughout the season to keep plants thriving way ahead of any bugs and with healthy immune systems to stay ahead of diseases. Please be careful when watering with fish or manure teas if you must use them; salad greens and other crops that will be eaten raw may end up contaminated enough to cause serious illness. It is really best just to use liquid plant based fertilizers for this reason.
MY ORGANIC GARDENING TIPS ...GO