A couple of posts ago I mentioned posting a bit about
fertilizer and what I use for my plants. Let me begin by saying that I am not
overly concerned with whether a purist would dub my garden “organic.” In my
opinion, growing plants in plastic containers on the roof of a house in the
middle of a city using a planting medium that is not dirt isn’t very “organic”
to begin with. That said, I do try to limit my use of chemicals and poisons on
plants that I plan on eating. I’ve always thought it odd to spray a pesticide
that can kill you on a plant that you intend to eat.
In terms of pesticides, I stick to insecticidal soap, which
is non-toxic, effective, and fairly cheap. It’s just soap with fatty acids in
it that break down the hard shell of most garden pests. It’s harmless to people
and animals, but in my experience works just as well as the nasty stuff with
all sorts of skulls and crossbones on it.
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| Safe and effective! This is my choice for pest control |
My main vice is using Miracle Grow fertilizer. Yes, I know
that in some gardening circles the mere mention of MG causes twenty page
debates over the virtues of bone meal, chicken feathers, ground up rotting
fish, and all sorts of other stuff. Actually, I did use some pasteurized chicken manure back in early May
when everything went out. That said, I really want my plants to have enough
nutrients, and when you are growing in a container this is especially important.
In the ground, they can draw upon a large volume of dirt for water and
nutrition. In a container, plants are limited to a small percentage of the soil
volume they would normally occupy. This is where the fertilizer comes in.
It’s important to note that I err on the side of less. The
main drawback to using a chemical fertilizer like Miracle Grow is that it can
burn your plants if you are not careful or if you over-apply it. I use it once
a month early on, then not at all unless it appears needed. In fact, I normally
don’t fertilize after July 1 or so at all, as it’s often not needed.
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| This is an effective product with a good ratio of nutrients for most veggies (not just tomatoes) |
Also, not all fertilizers are the same. You have to pay
attention to the ratio of nitrogen to phosphorus to potassium. In talking to
other gardeners and from personal experience, I really like the Miracle Grow
labeled as “tomato food.” Yes, it is different from the blue Miracle Grow you
put on your houseplants. For one thing, it has a different ratio of nutrients than
the regular Miracle Grow. Vegetables need more than just nitrogen, which the
traditional “all purpose” Miracle grow tends to consist primarily of. This is
essential, because while nitrogen is great for lush, green foliage production,
it does little for fruit production—and fruit is after all why you are planting
your garden! Making sure you are giving your veggies enough phosphorus and
potassium will ensure that they will root well and vigorously set fruit.
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| The tomato MG even looks like pink lemonade! Yes, that is a fish on the pitcher; these are the pitchers I user for my fish tank (but that's a topic for another blog!) |
If used in small quantities and applied only as needed, a
chemical fertilizer like Miracle Grow will result in vigorous healthy plants.
Other things work too, of course. Your plant doesn’t care how the nitrogen,
phosphorus and potassium get into its dirt; it just needs to be able to access
nutrients as needed. If you enjoy dealing with jars of gooey rotting fish slime
and bags of animal manure, knock yourself out! Chances are the smell on your
patio will not be very pleasant, which is the major reason I avoid using these
products on my upstairs porch. Also, most potting soils come with fertilizer in
them anyway, minimizing the need for additional fertilizer. Just be conservative
with your fertilizer use and pay attention to your plants.
Until next time, happy gardening!
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