Feed the soil, and the soil will feed your plants. That's one of the basic tenets of or ganic gardening. In most cases, an annual application of rich compost or well-aged manure will provide enough nutrients and organic matter to sustain your plants all through the growing season. Even so, your garden will probably need a quick pick-me-up from time to time. That doesn't mean that you have to run out to the garden center and drop some cash on an expensive fertilizer. Chances are you have the ingredi ents for making your own inexpensive, earth-friendly plant food right at hand.
We've polled garden experts from around the country for their favorite fertil izer formulas. Many of these fertilizer mixes, blends, and solutions provide more than the big three nutrients of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. They also include vital mi-cronutrients, plant growth hormones, soil conditioners, and even disease and insect fighters. Some of these time-tested fertilizer formulas include traditional, easy-to-find materials, like fish emulsion and manure. Others make use of more unusual ingredi ents, like Epsom salts and vinegar. Still others make the most of kitchen and garden wastes, including coffee grounds and weeds.
We hope these gardener-to-gardener formulas will inspire you to cook up some of your own creative mixes by making use of locally available materials for fertilizer. Collect wastes from local breweries, ma nure from zoos or local farms, leaves from curbsides, and kitchen scraps from restau rants or grocery stores. Many establish ments will be glad to have your haul away their wastes for free.
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