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| We recently moved to our current house last fall. Over the winter I prepared for a garden. I tilled up the clay and added compost and mixed it in the top ~6 inches. I guess it was about 2 inches on top before mixing it in. At my previous location, my soil was wonderful! Here, it just seems like everything is alive but not thriving. I'm pretty experienced so I don't think my watering is an issue. Maybe I should just be patient but I was hoping for some advice on what i could use to kickstart my vegetables to get them going. I would like to stay organic if reasonable. I've never really added fertilizer to my garden before, only compost at the beginning/end of the season, so would appreciate some guidance! Thanks! |
Follow-Up Postings:
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- Posted by johns.coastal.patio USDA 10b, Sunset 24 (My Page) on Tue, May 27, 14 at 14:17
| There are lots of "high" nitrogen organic mulches. We were just talking in another thread about top-dressing & etc. I would think those would fit both your requirements and your preference. Organic Materials and their C:N Ratios are listed here. Alfalfa and cottonseed meals would be even higher. Ah, even more listed here (pdf). |
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- Posted by jacob.morgan78 7 Central Virginia (My Page) on Tue, May 27, 14 at 18:40
| I was thinking of something that I would need to either "stir" into the top inch or water in. I don't know if a mulch would have as immediate of an effect as I desire. How would the meal products you describe work? |
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- Posted by johns.coastal.patio USDA 9b, Sunset 24 (My Page) on Tue, May 27, 14 at 19:54
| Well, if we believe the pot growers ... "Alfalfa meal can be top dressed and watered in. But quicker benefits are had when alfalfa is brewed into a tea. The primary boost comes from the millions of microbes in the fermented meal that activate the soil organisms that then convert nutrients into forms available to plants." I see many discussions across the internet when I search "top dress alfalfa cotton meal." I guess also "making alfalfa tea fertilizer." |
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- Posted by jacob.morgan78 7 (My Page) on Tue, May 27, 14 at 21:38
| What about these products from espoma? I would basically side dress or possibly rake them in the top inch or so... BioTone Starter Plus 4-3-3 GardenTone 3-4-4 |
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- Posted by johns.coastal.patio USDA 10b, Sunset 24 (My Page) on Tue, May 27, 14 at 23:01
| Those look fine Jacob. They might be a bit more expensive per pound(s) of effective NPK than a 25 pound bag of "meal", but they do come with cultured Mycorrhizae and all that. |
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- Posted by jacob.morgan78 7 Central Virginia (My Page) on Wed, May 28, 14 at 14:17
| Thank you! Where can I purchase alfafa meal or another "meal" product just so I can compare? Does anyone know of a good place to find more information about these things such as application rates and such? Thanks! |
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- Posted by johns.coastal.patio USDA 10b, Sunset 24 (My Page) on Wed, May 28, 14 at 14:30
| I did some poking around, the good deals on the "meals" seem to come from feed or farm supply stores. As always, "best local deal" varies. |
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