My Fertilizer Recipe

Wanted to take time and share a recipe for dry, organic fertilizer. The components of the mix can be bought at most garden stores, or Farm & Home Supply type places. In the Ozarks, my local MFA can typically handle all my need. I usually try to buy ingredients in the spring, when they are most prevalent. However, I always watch for sales in late summer, early fall, when local garden shops are trying to clear inventory.

I keep this mix in an old plastic kitty litter container (because I am cheap!) It is also easy to pour that way. When mixing ingredients, I have an old plastic storage bin that lets me stir and shake away.

I might also add that this mix is very potent! It needs to be worked into the soil well, or mixed with compost, manure, etc. I also mix a garden trowel's worth into a 5 gallon bucket for wet fertilizing. There is lime in the mixture, which can kill your plants if applied too liberally. My general rule is mix 3 quarts of this mix into 100 square feet of garden. In my typical 4'x4' beds, that would be a pint of dry mix all through the bed! In my 4'x8' beds, I use 1 quart. As you can see, it will go a long way.

Late fall, after the crops are done, is a great time to add this mix. I also typically add soil mix to the garden at the same time. Then, this mix has time to blend. The PH of the soil will also be better. After adding soil and fertilizer, I cover the bed in leaves or straw to take a good winter's nap! In my greenhouse bed, which is 32 sq ft, I put in 1 pint in the spring and fall, respectively. Since this bed goes all year, I like to be a little extra careful with the fertilizer mix.
Ingredients:
1 gallon of seed meal
1 quart of agricultural grade lime
1 quart of gypsum
1 quart of dolomitic lime
1 quart of bone meal
2 quarts of kelp meal
1 pint of sulphur
Yield: 2 1/2 gallons of mix, which will cover a maximum of 250 sq ft of garden.

Would love to hear from you on what you use!

slainte,

The Celtic Ozark Garden