How to fertilize

[Chuck]

What are the benefits of Epsom salts? Being curious, I'm still learning

I don't know about in England but in Texas it absolutely stops Blossom End Rot which is the main reason to use it here, but it also helps in making a plant bigger and bushier.

 

[headfullofbees]

What are the benefits of Epsom salts? Being curious, I'm still learning

Magnesium is necessary for the optimal uptake of nitrogen
Here's an article which may interest you:

6 Ways to Use Epsom Salt in the Garden | Epsom Salt Council

Learn how Epsom salt can help grow houseplants, roses, shrubs, lawns, trees and gardens by providing vital nutrients magnesium and sulfur.

www.epsomsaltcouncil.org

 

[headfullofbees]

13-13-13 is your best bet in the absence of soil test info. For the tomatoes and peppers, in addition to 13-13-13 sprinkle a handful of epsom salts around the base of the plants.

For all the others, 13-13-13 will do the job.

The okra is probably nearing the end of its production cycle depending on where you are in Texas. Cold front due next week. Probably a waste to fertilize it.

Because of poorer light levels, we HAVE to grow our indeterminate tomatoes single-stem (double at most), & this makes a 13-13-13 fertiliser too high in nitrogen for us in the UK; we'd get loads of leaf growth & fewer tomatoes.
For that reason, we'd use a much lower N & P rating, say 2-2-6, so that we give the tomatoes just enough nitrogen to keep on growing, similarly phosphate, but plenty of potash for flowering & fruiting.

 

[Meadowlark]

Because of poorer light levels, we HAVE to grow our indeterminate tomatoes single-stem (double at most), & this makes a 13-13-13 fertiliser too high in nitrogen for us in the UK;

That's interesting but the Op is from the great State of Texas where the stars at night are big and bright and the Sunshines an average of 2631 hours annually in the Op's location.

 

[headfullofbees]

That's interesting but the Op is from the great State of Texas where the stars at night are big and bright and the Sunshines an average of 2631 hours annually in the Op's location.

You also get the sun much higher in the sky than we do in the UK, especially when we get to Scotland, which is where I am.
Port William, where I live is 54'45" N to give you some idea how far North we are:

54th parallel north - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

The point is that, once again, what is undoubtedly excellent advice for those of you in Texas, is perhaps not as valid in the UK, a number of whose members have posted on this topic; it is not merely for the purpose of contradiction.
It may also be the case that some members, for whom the advice is excellent, are interested in how we have to use different methods according to our circumstances.

 

[Susan BBPM]

Because of poorer light levels, we HAVE to grow our indeterminate tomatoes single-stem (double at most), & this makes a 13-13-13 fertiliser too high in nitrogen for us in the UK; we'd get loads of leaf growth & fewer tomatoes.
For that reason, we'd use a much lower N & P rating, say 2-2-6, so that we give the tomatoes just enough nitrogen to keep on growing, similarly phosphate, but plenty of potash for flowering & fruiting.

I've read that nettle tea can be used prior to fruiting to boost nitrogen, but once they flower you should switch to comfrey tea?

Do you know if this is correct?

In previous years I used commercial tomato feed on my tomatoes, but this year we just added an inch of garden compost to the bed in December then used worm tea or compost leachate when it was available. This has worked every bit as well as the commercial feed.

We also moved our worm farm into the polytunnel over winter and that seemed to work wonders for the nutrition of the beds. The only downside is that all the 'native' worms moved into the worm farm (which got moved back out of the polytunnel in the spring).

I have read that the good thing about these organic fertilizers is that they eliminate the risk of overfeeding - I can't remember the explanation as to why.

 

[Susan BBPM]

Ok, I see. I know my pepper plants are in need of nitrogen. I’m doing all container gardening. I don’t have the option for in ground or raised bed at the moment. I also have tomatoes, lettuce, kale, cabbage, chard and okra. I know the tomatoes and peppers have different fertilization needs so I thought I would need two different kinds

I'm in a similar situation, struggling to get my head around container gardening.

I use a no dig approach in my beds - essentially all that's required is an inch or two of garden compost added to the beds each December - that's it!! No amendments or fertilizer needed (except possibly amending ph level for potatoes vs brassicas).

I love the simplicity and the fact that you don't need to spend a penny (or cent).

Containers are a different beast though. I've done well enough, but my approach has been to spend a small fortune on store bought compost and refreshing with new each year. This store bought compost is full of slow release fertilizer.

I need to use a lot of containers as we have huge patio areas in the sunniest spots. Thus far, I've established that containers do best when you can cut the bottoms out and place them on soil - it doesn't matter how awful the soil is. I'm not sure why this makes a difference, but it kind of turns it into a raised bed. But on my patio I simply can't do this. I'd be willing to take up some slabs, but there's a couple of feet of rubble underneath them.

@Oliver Buckle can give you good advice for making completely free potting soil - although that's UK climate.

I'm leaning towards a mix of garden compost, leaf mould (to hold moisture - thanks oliver), manure and possibly using @Chuck and @Meadowlark's container hugelculture (sp??) approach. Oliver has also talked about 'baking' clay soil to create a powder which sounds interesting as when I add my garden soil it just clumps and separates from the other ingredients.

I know that in-ground, no dig gardening works beautifully because you feed the soil, and that creates soil life that feeds the plants. This works - 1 zillion percent. But I'm not sure how (or if you can) get this working in containers that aren't in contact with the soil. Can you create a little 'ecosystem' in a pot that's self-sustaining provided you keep the soil fed? The trouble is, if it dries out just once or gets too hot presumably you'll kill off the soil life.

 

[headfullofbees]

I've read that nettle tea can be used prior to fruiting to boost nitrogen, but once they flower you should switch to comfrey tea?

Do you know if this is correct?

In previous years I used commercial tomato feed on my tomatoes, but this year we just added an inch of garden compost to the bed in December then used worm tea or compost leachate when it was available. This has worked every bit as well as the commercial feed.

We also moved our worm farm into the polytunnel over winter and that seemed to work wonders for the nutrition of the beds. The only downside is that all the 'native' worms moved into the worm farm (which got moved back out of the polytunnel in the spring).

I have read that the good thing about these organic fertilizers is that they eliminate the risk of overfeeding - I can't remember the explanation as to why.

Yes you can use both, but if keeping a number of bins of extracts is difficult, for whatever reason, you can get away with using only comfrey tea; there's enough nitrogen there.
It is not impossible to overfeed organically.
People sometimes think you can't because the NPK numbers tend to be low, but really what forms of NPK you have matter more, asa it changes the availability of the nutrients to plants.
Manure can give you problems with potatoes, because the nitrogen can be relentless, & you have stems everywhere with little in the way of tubers. It is also the case with manure that you can get too much phosphate in the soil, which binds it up, reducing its availability.
Horse mature, when fresh, will burn the roots of pumpkins etc because it's so "hot" in nitrogen.
So I only use manure on alternate years.
What organic fertilisers are good for, is giving you a bit more leeway when you apply & feeding the soil biosphere, so that your plants are naturally fertilised.

 

[Oliver Buckle]

My approach to filling containers depends on what I have about me to put in them, and what I intend to plant.
When I re-potted my angel's trumpets I know they are addicted to plenty of moisture, and that the friend who gave me them said "Don't worry about overfeeding them, you can't". I made up a mix that was very high in vegetable material, sieved but only partly composted, and manure with terracotta and ash and just a bit of top soil. It will rot down quite a bit and allow me to top dress to add nutrients for a few years.
I am sure you can imagine that would not do for potatoes.
Tomatoes might have two parts each compost, manure and topsoil.
Lavender I can get away with spent soil from old pots with minimal additions.