Organic fertilizers

**<m*@tagoresmith.com>**

Hi.

I decided to send my original response to Doreen to the whole group. She
asked me a couple of questions in a later email, so I'll add that info
to this email.

Original message:

Yes--I have used nothing but organic fertilizers my whole life, whether
on a couple of acres or 80. 

I choose the fertilizer depending on the need, of course. I figure that
I get about 1-1-1 from compost (plus all the stuff you don't compute but
which makes it possible to work with organic materials). To that, I add
however much of whatever formulation I need. I have used a variety of
materials over the years. Fertrell has two basic "complete" fertilizers,
one with higher N than the other. I use the high N one on squash and
spinach if I need to fertilize, and the lower N one on root crops. 

(Answers to her follow-up questions: One formulation has an analysis of
5-1-1 and the other an analysis of 1-1-2. I used Fertrell as a matter of
convenience rather than preference--NOFA [Northeast Organic Farmers
Association] does a bulk order every year and one can get pallets of
inputs for wholesale prices. Therefore, I bought what they had, and
Fertrell was their choice. But I liked it, or I wouldn't have continued
to buy it.)

I split fertilizer applications sometimes, banding in half of what a
crop needs just after seeding or transplanting and then banding the
remainder about midway through the season. 

For crops such as tomatoes, for example, I start with half of whatever I
need, add the other half just as the first blossoms are setting, and add
mag once more, about 2/3's through the season.

I also used fish/seaweed as a starter solution. I soak root balls in a
solution mixed as recommended on the bottle before I transplant. I
sometimes use fish/seaweed as a foliar spray, too, again depending on
needs.

In addition to fertilizers, I apply greensand and rock phosphate to
every bed, every year. I figure what I would need for a total
application and divide that amount by 3 to 5 to determine how much to
apply per year. Some crops, such as tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant, get
a 1/4 cup of azomite in the transplant hole. If I am transplanting
mechanically, I add it to the bed at the same time I add the greensand
and rock.

So, that's about it.

Feel free to write if you have questions.

Miranda

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