Before you plant, it is important to add a complete fertilizer to your soil each year. Most of the nutrients will be abundant in the soil for the whole year. However, the most important nutrient, nitrogen, is something that many of your vegetables need consistently and it happens to be the one that is depleted the fastest. Nitrogen not only is used heavily by growing plants, but it is also leeched out of the soil when you water.

Therefore, you will want to “side-dress” your crops with nitrogen (ammonium sulfate 21-0-0). You can buy this at just about any gardening center or Walmart. I will explain how to do this and for which plants. When side dressing you don’t want to over do it or else you will kill your plants with love. Too much nitrogen will prevent the roots from soaking in water due to an osmosis effect. For some vegetables too much nitrogen will also promote excessive vegetation on not good fruit yields. It is best to follow the proper amounts for each plant. I have made up a spreadsheet on how much to add per vegetable. This information comes from the USU extension vegetable facts sheets.

As for the proper way to apply the nitrogen, you will want to place the nitrogen at least 6 inches away from the plant. When you “side-dress” you will want to cut a notch into the soil on the edge of the row with a hoe. Add the proper amount into the notch. I have included a picture of this.

After you add it, pack the soil back onto the nitrogen. This makes sure that the granules will not float away when you water.

If you have black plastic or something covering your row then just fold up the side of the plastic and apply, make sure to not cover your plants with the plastic during hot sunny days.

This process, more than any tip on vegetable gardening, has been more conducive to a successful garden then almost any other that I have learned. Not only will you achieve larger yields, but you will have healthier plants, and increased resistance to disease. You will also continually help the pH of the soil by adding ammonium sulfate.

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