Plants in your vegetable garden need nutrients, sunlight, and water to grow and thrive. Most gardeners find that they need to supplement garden soil with fertilizer. Your choice of fertilizer can be organic or inorganic, but if applied at the right time and in the right amount, you'll be happy with the results.
Before you choose or apply a fertilizer, take the time to have your garden soil analyzed. Tests can be ordered from a commercial gardening site or contact your local university-affiliated extension service office for how and when to test soils. A professional soil test will tell you exactly what nutrients to add to the soil, and in what amounts.
When to Fertilize Your Garden
Before planting vegetable plants in the spring or fall, apply fertilizer to the soil and mix it in well to the upper five inches of the soil. After working it in, gently water the soil so the nutrients will begin to break down.
Once seeds or seedlings are established, the plants will benefit from regular fertilizer applications every three to four weeks to keep them productive. The timing depends on the plants but it should be when they are in their most vigorous growth cycle. This is early spring for lettuce and leafy greens; midsummer for corn, squash, tomatoes, and potatoes.
For perennial fruit plants, follow the fertilizer specifications for that plant. Strawberries do better if fertilized after the harvest is over; while blueberries do best when fertilized in early spring before blooms form.
Tip
Vegetables growing in clay soils will need less fertilizer than those in loose or sandy soils. One application every four to six weeks after planting is typically enough.
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What You'll Need
Equipment / Tools
- Hose or irrigation system
- Hoe
- Watering can
Materials
- Organic fertilizer
- Inorganic fertilizer
Instructions
How to Fertilize Your Garden
Select a Type of Fertilizer
Inorganic:Often called commercial or synthetic fertilizers because they go through a manufacturing process, many come from naturally occurring mineral deposits. They contain only a few nutrients in specific amounts—generally nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium (NPK)—in a form readily available to plants. Inorganic fertilizers are sold in granular, liquid, and slow-release formulas.
Organic: Manures, compost, or bone meal are organic fertilizers derived directly from plant or animal sources. They usually contain plant nutrients in lower concentrations than inorganic fertilizers and release nutrients more slowly.
Select an Application Method
Broadcast: Sprinkle the soil with the fertilizer by hand or use a fertilizer spreader in larger gardens. This is a good method for fertilizing a garden before plants or seeds are added.
Band: Once rows or furrows are established, apply a narrow band of fertilizer next to the row before seeds or plants are added.
Side-dress: Good method for adding fertilizer during the growing season. The fertilizer should be applied at the dripline of the plant and not touch the stems or leaves of the plant to prevent fertilizer burn.
Follow Specific Vegetable Care and Growing Guidelines
Do some homework to determine the best fertilizer for your garden. Different vegetables have specific fertilizing guidelines. It is often better to under-fertilize than over-fertilize!
Over-fertilization can lead to sudden plant growth with an insufficient root system to supply adequate water and nutrients to the plant. Poor root structure reduces fruit production. Both inorganic and organic fertilizers can be overapplied and burn plants or stimulate leaf growth at the expense of fruit.
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Tips for Successful Fertilizer Use in the Vegetable Garden
- Read the label on the fertilizer to understand nutrient amounts and directions for application.
- Do not apply liquid fertilizers to newly planted seedlings. The liquid reaches the roots so quickly it can cause root burn and the plant may not thrive. Liquid fertilizer is fine to use once the plants are established.
- Always work granular fertilizer and compost into the soil and water deeply after the application.
- The value of adding fertilizer is reduced if weeds are competing with the vegetables for nutrients.
- Pale leaves, slow growth, and low yields are indications that fertilizer is needed.
- If you have mulched the garden heavily, rake the mulch to the side when applying fertilizer using the side dressing method. Water in the fertilizer and replace the mulch around the plant.
- Follow soil test guidelines carefully. If the test reports high levels of phosphorus or potassium, choose a nitrogen-only fertilizer.
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