Fertilizing Basics
It is always better to feed plants a steady stream of “snacks” than to starve-and-binge them. We recommend any of the organic “grow” fertilizers, liquid or powder. Fish emulsion is an old favorite, but your plants will do well with any of them on garden store shelves (Urban Farm Oasis has some). Follow the directions and you’ll do fine. Avoid thinking more is better!
A quick caveat about fish-based fertilizers: they can attract animals like skunks and raccoons who think there’s a fish buried there and try to dig it up!
Most organic fertilizers are relatively mild, with Nitrogen-Phosphorus-Potassium ratios in the 3-2-2 or 5-2-3 range (the numbers are always printed on the packaging) compared to synthetic fertilizers which might be in the 16-16-16 or 20-10-10 range. It’s okay to use synthetic fertilizers, but if you’re a beginning grower, you’re much less likely to burn your plants with milder organic fertilizers and we think you’ll get better results overall. Your garden soil will be healthier too.
During the vegetative phase, now through late July, when the plant is putting on maximum leaf and stem growth, you’ll want to use a “grow” fertilizer (e.g. 5-2-2, 3-2-2). That is, the percentages of macronutrients listed on the packaging will be nearly equal, or the Nitrogen (first number) will be slightly higher. For synthetic fertilizers, those numbers might be something like 16-16-16 or 20-10-10. As always, follow package directions and you won’t go wrong.
