Mix Your Own Organic Fertilizer

Here're the ingredients for the organic fertilizer I mix for my garden. It's based on the formula developed by Steve Solomon, previous owner of Territorial Seed and author of "Gardening When It Counts".

Measurements are by volume.

4 parts Soybean Meal (any seed meal is OK)

1 part Dolomitic Lime

1 part Bone Meal or Rock Phosphate

1/2 part Kelp Meal

1/2 part Azomite (trace elements)

I buy the ingredients bulk and mix up a batch as needed. Use about 4 quarts per 100 square feet or a handful under each transplant.

This is a slow release formula. It depends on the activity of soil organisms to break it down so it's available to your plants. That means soil temperature is also a factor.

To get a quicker nitrogen boost, especially in early spring, replace 1 part Seed Meal with 1 part Blood Meal.

This organic fertilizer will cost you a bit more than a bag of cheap chemical 5-10-10. If you buy the ingredients bulk they will last you several gardening seasons. You could also split the cost with several other gardening friends.

The results you get are worth the extra effort. Your vegetables will be healthier and more nutritious. That's why you grow your own, right?