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Garden Betty

how (not) to fertilize your garden in summer


In summer when your vegetables are growing vigorously, they need all the nutrients they can get to produce a good, healthy crop. Oftentimes, these nutrients are already in your soil if you practice cover cropping, composting in place, or mulching with organic matter.

But sometimes—especially with heavy feeders like tomatoes and squash—your plants could benefit from a little boost.

That's when fertilizer can come in handy, but before you sprinkle it around your plants, here's something to keep in mind:

There's a right way (and definitely a wrong way) to fertilize in very hot weather. Are you unintentionally making things worse?

​Here's what you should know about fertilizing your plants in summer (and when you shouldn't do it).​

How to Best Fertilize Tomatoes for the Ultimate Bumper Crop

Fertilizer NPK Ratios Are Not What You Think They Are

What To Do When There's Too Much Nitrogen In Your Soil

Solarizing Your Garden: How to Use the Sun to Control Weeds and Pests in the Soil

7 Edible Cover Crops That Provide Food While Building Your Soil

How to Use Mulch Effectively In Your Yard (and When Not To)

Speaking of fertilizer, the choices at garden centers are endless. There's a fertilizer for every type of plant: vegetables, tomatoes, flowers, roses, citrus, even highly specialized fertilizers just for strawberries and asparagus.

How do you know which one to pick?!

Here's my opinion: It doesn't really matter what type of fertilizer you get.

All these plant-specific formulas are merely marketing gimmicks. If you look at the NPK analysis of each package, they can be wildly different, even if they're meant for the same thing.

For example, I compared two highly-rated tomato fertilizers (organic slow-release granular types) found on Amazon. One has an NPK of 3-4-6 (which says potassium is most important) while the other has an NPK of 9-1.5-7 (more nitrogen is better).

Then I looked at two different rose fertilizers: one is 4-8-4 (indicating they like more phosphorus) while the other is 4-3-2 (or is it more nitrogen they need?).

Who's right? How can they be so different yet promise the same results?

Obviously, there's no single "right" formula because soils are all different. There's no need to spend extra money on specialty fertilizers, especially if you grow multiple types of crops. If you don't know what your plant needs or what nutrients your soil is missing, just keep it simple with an all-purpose fertilizer (or with whatever's on sale 😄).

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P.S. If you aren't careful, fertilizing in hot weather can actually do more harm than good. Learn how to fertilize your plants in summer (and when you should just wait).​

P.P.S. Don't let good food go to waste this summer. Learn how to keep all your produce fresh and long-lasting (whether they're homegrown or store-bought) with my Fruit & Vegetable Storage Guide. (Tip: The fridge isn't always the best place for them!)

Garden Betty

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