Taking the Mystery Out of N-P-k

Every gardener wants to have the best yield possible, but it’s hard to remember what, when and how to apply fertilizer.

You use fertilizer as an “additive” to soils. This process helps you make sure that the nutrients essential to maximize the growth and health of the plants in your garden are available. Usually, this means Phosphorous, Nitrogen, and Potassium.

These basic elements are usually in the form of chemical compounds that can be converted by the plant to access the needed elements. For instance, plants require Nitrogen, but use it in the form of larger compounds like ammonia (NH4) or nitrate (NO3-). Soils naturally contain these required chemical compounds, but often there is an imbalanced ratio.



Soil is very much a living, breathing, organic system of nutrients and matter, which plants draw from to build themselves. Over years of use, soils become less nutritious. To mend this, we add inputs back into the soil. Often times, this is in the form of a fertilizer.

Fertilizers are compounds that gardeners can use to increase the amounts and balance the ratios of these essential chemical compounds. Luckily there are many organic products on the market.

Replacing and fortifying nutrient levels is key to maintaining healthy soils. Some organic options are:

// animal manure

// compost

// fish & seaweed

// worm castings

// bone meal (adds phosphorus)

// blood meal (adds nitrogen)

Try these Organic Fertilizer options found at Amazon

Light Feeders

These vegetables require a small amount of fertilizer at planting. No additional feeding is usually necessary.

// Bush Beans

// Mustard Greens

// Peas

// Southern Peas

// Turnips

Moderate Feeders

Liquid fertilizer works well for these moderate feeders. Avoid manure on root crops, it can cause scabby patches on them.

// Beets

// Carrots

// Okra

// Pole Beans

// Potatoes

// Sweet Potatoes

Heavy Feeders

Liquid fertilizers work well for heavy feeders. Feed once when warm weather hits and again later in the season.

//Broccoli

// Brussels Sprouts

// Cabbage

//Cantaloupe

// Cauliflower

// Corn

// Cucumber

// Eggplant

// Kale

// Kohlrabi

// Onion

// Pepper

// Rhubarb

// Squash

//Tomato

// Watermelon

Check Out Our Awesome Infographic Below for the Guide to Garden Fertilizers.



Source: Fix.com