Vegetable plants are prolific feeders that quickly deplete soil of its essential nutrients. Fertilizer is used to restore these vital elements back into the soil.
Before fertilizing your vegetable garden, always conduct a soil test. A home soil testing kit or sending in soil samples for analysis are both inexpensive and will give an accurate picture of its needs.
Spring
Home gardening can be an enjoyable hobby that can bring many rewards. But in order for it to produce lush green vegetables, fertilizing must be part of the equation. If you want the highest yield from your garden, fertilization is an absolute necessity – the ideal time is spring when planting occurs and soil tests can indicate whether extra nutrients are required – each type of vegetable has specific nutrient requirements which an all-purpose fertilizer may not satisfy.
Fertilizers act like multivitamins for your plants, providing essential minerals and supplements not found naturally in soil or water alone. Fertilizers help speed up nutrient availability in the soil, as well as providing immediate boost to vegetable gardens as they begin their growing seasons.
Prior to planting seeds or seedlings, apply a granular organic fertilizer to your garden bed. Mix it into the top five inches of soil and work gently into it – it would be ideal if this could happen before rain comes so the nutrients will have time to penetrate into the ground and become available to your plants.
When planting, be wary not to over-fertilize your plants as this could have serious repercussions for their health. Overfertilization can result in weak, leggy plants which are more vulnerable to disease and insect damage; yield reduction and hinder healthy, robust growth are all risks posed by an excess of fertilizers.
Once temperatures heat up, most vegetable plants require another round of fertilizer to kickstart their growth. A granular organic fertilizer works best and should be scattered or spread with either hand or power spreaders over your garden before rainfall, taking care not to disturb young plants or seeds that might still be emerging from beneath the soil surface.
When applying fertilizers, remember to follow UF/IFAS recommendations regarding ideal rates, application timings and formulas. Be mindful that any extra fertilizer can wash off hard surfaces into storm drains where it contributes to water pollution. In addition, try not to apply them near rain-expectant areas, as this can cause runoff of nutrients into groundwater bodies as well as surface bodies causing pollution of both bodies of water and groundwater bodies.
Summer
Have you ever noticed how lush green produce looks in your neighbor’s vegetable garden, and wondered how they manage to keep it looking so healthy? Fertilizer may be their secret.
Most gardeners start off their gardening endeavor with a balanced fertilizer applied prior to planting light-feeding vegetables like lettuce. While this should provide enough nutrients for their crop to reach maturity, throughout the summer it is crucial that these essential elements are replenished in order to sustain plant growth and production.
When applying a large dose of fertilizer to a garden bed, organic granular fertilizer is ideal. When broadcast over all garden beds and lightly tilled into the soil, this fertilizer provides essential phosphorous and potassium nutrients essential for plant life, and two-thirds of nitrogen required by each vegetable crop. It should be applied seven to 10 days before or eight weeks after planting with additional side-dressings of nitrogen being an option if their needs surpass that provided by natural organic matter breakdown in soil.
One cup of dry organic fertilizers like cottonseed meal weighs 0.33 lb (8 ounces). Synthetic granular fertilizers with an NPK ratio of 10-10-10 or greater may also be utilized; please follow instructions provided on your label regarding rates, timing and application methods for best results.
Too much fertilizer can be detrimental in vegetable gardens. Too much nitrogen, for example, may delay flowering and fruiting processes that reduce yields; while overfertilizing with chemical or organic fertilizers could produce lush green foliage at the expense of healthy, abundant harvest. A soil test is an invaluable way to understand what nutrients your garden plants require to thrive; additionally, overfeeding can cause leaves of vegetables to turn yellow and lose flavor altogether.
Fall
Are You Wondering Why Their Vegetable Gardens Grow so Lush and Produce Such Abundant Harvests? One major factor behind their gardens’ lush growth and yield is fertilization – vegetables take in nutrients through their roots so replenishing those levels with fertilizer is key for success!
While fertilizing throughout the growing season is necessary, fall is a particularly crucial time to feed your vegetable garden. Summer crops have depleted many nutrient levels from your soil, so replenishment must take place now to ensure a successful harvest in spring.
An effective fall vegetable garden fertilization will also improve soil structure and drainage as the weather cools, such as adding organic matter such as manure. Doing this can increase moisture retention by holding onto more of it longer while decreasing compaction; particularly important when dealing with wet, saturated conditions in vegetable gardens.
Fertilizer should ideally be applied before planting in spring, to enable plants to absorb its benefits as they develop. But even after you’ve already set out your vegetable seeds, it remains crucial that they continue receiving adequate nourishment through winter so that they have enough energy left over in spring to continue their growth.
Avoid overfertilization to protect plants from yellowing leaves, poor growth and stunted or wilted plants by always following package directions precisely. Another good way to ensure appropriate application is having your soil tested beforehand — this will tell you what types and amounts of nutrients are present so you can tailor your fertilizer composition according to its composition; for instance if your soil contains sandy or clay-like characteristics you may require more nitrogen (N), while loamy or sandy-loam soil requires less N.
Winter
Fertilizing is essential if you grow vegetables in a garden, hoop house, cold frame or other structure. Vegetable plants tend to deplete soil nutrients quickly due to heavy feeding by their roots; fertilizer helps replenish these levels so future crops have all they need for optimal growth and optimal yields.
Vegetable gardening requires using the appropriate type and amount of fertilizer at the appropriate time, to foster healthy plant growth that leads to a successful harvest. Different plants have specific nutrient requirements; acid-loving varieties like azaleas, blueberries, camellias, etc. require lower soil pH in order to absorb enough essential nutrients while flowering varieties need extra phosphorus to increase blooming buds, flower production, fruit sets or buds for fruiting production.
Most vegetable plants need an all-purpose granular fertilizer with nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium content for proper growth; the exact dose depends on what kind of vegetable is being grown. Leafy greens such as spinach, kale and chard respond best when given frequent side-dressings of high nitrogen fertilizer after experiencing significant growth or beginning to produce flowers or set fruit; peppers eggplants and tomatoes could benefit from an additional application two weeks after they’ve started setting fruit.
Applying side-dressings of high-nitrogen fertilizer should ideally take place during times of warm temperatures, since cooler or temperate climates inhibit soil microbe activity which makes it harder for them to convert available nitrogen into forms that plants can use. An additional layer of mulch applied over the top of soil will also help hold in these fertilizers and the only exception would be areas which are at risk from late freezes, which could damage any tender new growth caused by fertilizer applications. In these regions, spring fertilizer applications are the recommended strategy. Always adhere to the application rates and methods recommended by the fertilizer manufacturer and contact your local extension office or master gardener program if any questions arise regarding application methods or rates. If further advice is needed from them.