All you do is hook up the hose, stick it in the ground, add the appropriate amount of fertilizer, in this case I added 1 tablespoon per tomato and melon plant, and then turn it on. Within 30 seconds all of the fertilizer is shot down to the roots.

A couple of things to know. First, this really only works for soluble fertilizers or you will jamb it up. Also, you should water your plants right after feeding them so that the feeding is not too concentrated. Right after doing this I watered my tomatoes and melons for about 3 hours on a drip system. Last, timing is everything. You shouldn’t do this whenever, there are specific, ideal times to fertilize. If I would have done this any later, I might ruin my harvest. Tomatoes and melons should be fertilized 4 weeks and 8 weeks after transplanting. Don’t do it any more than that.

Let VegeNag take the guesswork out of the proper timing and amount by subscribing to our automated email reminders complete with how to’s by signing up for a free account today at VegeNag.com

For those who live outside of Utah, make sure to find out what your pH is and ask your local nursery about a complete fertilizer recommendation.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6_MnIcWeZ8

I also have this information outlined in another post

As soon as I can work the soil without jambing up the tiller or making a muddy mess, I perform this operation. It is critical to do as early as you can so that there is sufficient time for the composting to occur before you plant. Give yourself at least a month.

Here is how I do it. First, I spread out all of the compost pile in the garden whether it is finished composting or not. I then spread nitrogen over top the places I added the compost. Just sprinkle it around like you are salting a steak. You will need this nitrogen since a lot will be used during the composting process and you don’t want to “drain” of soil of the critical nutrient. At this point you may also add other amendments to your soil such as leaves or peat moss. Finally, just till it all in or turn the soil over with a shovel if you don’t have a tiller.

This process of adding amendments to your soil is so helpful and it makes your soil much much better every year. Not only does it make it more loamy and easier to work, but it lowers the pH and it adds a lot of critical nutrients to your soil. If you don’t need to lower your pH in your area like I do in mine, then consider adding lime to your soil during this process.

Here is what my soil looks like after I just did this to my garden. In about a month most all of the amendments will be composted.

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.

It is for this reason that I choose to fertilize with a soil acidifier formulated fertilizer like Miracid or another brand that is usually 30-10-10 with trace elements, particularly sulfur. It is equally important to get it down to the roots so the grass doesn’t steal most of the nutrients before it soaks down. For this I use a Ross Root Feeder.

As for the amount, it depends on a number of conditions. In this photo I used the miracle grow spray fertilizer hooked up to the root feeder, however, I have since purchased a Ross Tree Root Feeder which is easier since it is all one unit. I let it go for 2-3 minutes total in multiple holes around the drip line.

Doing this every year right before blossoming will give the tree much needed help in growing great fruit.

We have learned that for Junebearing strawberries, Chandler or Ventana is the best in terms of size, flavor, yield, etc. As for everbearing/day-neutral strawberries, we have learned that Diamonte is the best, however, recently a newer better berry which surpasses the Diamonte has come out. It is called Albion. So this year we planted both Albion and Ventana. Of course, alot of this is subjective, but it is a good place to start anyway.

There are many things to know about strawberries and so I would refer you to the strawberry fact sheet for many of the specifics.

As for our garden, we use the black plastic method in a row. This means that the strawberries can’t put out their runners to create new strawberry plants. We pinch the runners off and do the initial planting 12″ apart which is pretty close together since we don’t let them runner. The reason for this is that we feel that the plants, at around $.25 a piece are cheap and we want to enjoy them as soon as possible so we don’t let them put their energy into creating new plants, instead we make them put it into the fruit. Another benefit of the black plastic is water conservation, since the berries like the moisture, and the fruit doesn’t tend to rot when touching the ground.

Also, remember that strawberries like a lower pH than most vegetable, therefore, I add extra sulfur when I fertilize to accomplish this. See post on this.

While strawberries do the best in California, the still do well in Utah. One problem we frequently have is iron chlorosis, so you will need to watch for this.

You can see this problem in the leaves noted be green veins with a yellow leaf.

This is due to improper fertilization or irrigation. If you have this problem read here.

There are 16 elements that plants need to grow. All but 6 are found in abundance in the air water and soil. Therefore, when you focus on plant nutrients, you should really focus on these 6 elements.

• Nitrogen
• Phosphorus
• Potassium (potash)
• Iron
• Zinc
• Sulfur

On most fertilizer packages you will see some combination of three numbers  (e.g. 16-16-8). This means that there is 16% nitrogen, 16% phosphorus and 8% potassium. Usually, fertilizers come with trace amounts of the others which can be found in the small print. Before buying fertilizer for your garden, it is a good idea to have your soil tested so you know what you need and how much of it. You can do this with your local extension office or buy a soil test kit. I would recommend having your extension office do it and don’t waste your money on the kits. The kits will probably tell you exactly what we already know, you need more nitrogen, phosphorus and maybe potassium and your pH is way too high. A professional test will tell you accurately and also tell you what exactly to add.  If you don’t this then I would recommend a general complete fertilizer that apparently is conducive to Utah soil according to Dr. Gordon Wells. 

• 3 parts 16-16-8
• 1 part Ironite

You would apply this at a rate of 1 quart per 180 sqft. Apply it like you are salting a steak.

Along with these elements, pH is a huge consideration for your soil. In Utah we have very alkaline soil. My pH is about 8 without amending the soil. Your plants usually like at 7 or below. Berries like it even lower like 6.5 or less. 

Ways to lower your pH are to add organic amendments like grass clippings, peat moss, compost, leaves etc. Another way is to add elemental sulfur (S) to your complete fertilizer mix. I use both methods. I add organics whenever I can and I add sulfur at the beginning or each season. You can buy sulfur pellets at most country/agricultural stores. I bought mine at the local IFA.

Adding sulfur to your soil will lower the pH by reacting with the micro-organisms and produce sulfuric acid. This acid will lower your pH. I add 1 quart per 180 sqft of this sulfur and twice that for my berry patches.

You will most likely only need to add complete fertilizers and sulfur to your soil which covers all 6 elements once a year. The only other consideration would be nitrogen. Nitrogen is soluble, which means it will leach down into the soil. Also the plants use this element a lot to grow, so it will go fast from your soil.  Therefore, you will need to add Nitrogen (Ammonium sulfate 20-0-0) to your soil for some plants during their growth. Check your specific plants to see which ones like additional feedings. Make sure to not over do it because you can kill your plants with too much nitrogen. Nitrogen is like salt in that too much of  it will prevent water from entering the roots of your plants. Again, check your plant’s needs in this regard. 

If you follow these basic principles, then your plants will produce so much better for you. Remember, these are the basics, you can get way more into if you want, but at least this knowledge will get you going and producing excellent vegetables.

Let me know how you do with it or if you have important points to add.