Warning:
The information contained in these web pages has not been
verified for correctness. Some of the information contained herein is hearsay and may not
be correct. Use the information from these pages only at your own risk!
Organic or 'natural' materials such as manures and composts are more
cumbersome and possibly more expensive than synthetic fertilizers, but nothing quite takes
their place. In addition to providing some nutrient value, they improve soil structure and
increase the ablility of the soil to hold air, nutrients and water.
Plants take up nutrients in specific forms regardless of whether the
source is organic or synthetic. It is possible to supply all the nutrients needed by your
plants by using only organic materials, but care and effort are needed to assure that
sufficient amounts of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium (the nutrients needed in greatest
quantities by plants) are available to the plants throughout the season. Because the
nutrients in organic materials are tied up in more complex molecules, it often takes
longer for them to become available to the plants. This delay can result in temporary
nutrient deficiencies, especially in the spring.
Organic materials which have not broken down sufficiently (fresh
manures, manures with lots of wood shavings, fresh leaf piles, etc.) should be turned into
the garden in the fall or a few weeks before planting or applied only in small quantities.
An alternate method is to set them aside for the season, allowing them to decompose. Fresh
manures can 'burn' plants; woody materials (wood chips, sawdust, leaf piles, etc.) can
cause a temporary nitrogen deficiency until they are sufficiently decomposed. This
deficiency can be counteracted somewhat by applying about 1 lb. nitrogen for every 100
lbs. of organic matter in the spring. A rule of thumb is that when the material starts to
resemble soil, it is ready for the garden. (Note: manures and composts do not provide
sufficient phosphorus for good yields of crops.)
One possible 'recipe' for a complete fertilizer is the following applied
per 1,000 square feet:
- 1,000 lbs. of compost or rotted, not dehydrated, manure (25 bushels)
source of Nitrogen.
- 20 lbs. of bone meal (10 quarts) - source of Phosphorus.
- 30 lbs. of wood ash (15 quarts) - source of Potassium.
Work the materials into the top four inches of soil in early spring.
This amount should supply your plants with sufficient nutrients throughout the growing
season.
Common natural fertilizers and their nutritive value
| Materials |
Nitrogen |
Phosphorus |
Potassium |
Availability |
Comments |
| Dried Blood |
12 |
0 |
0 |
high |
|
| Bone Meal (steamed) |
0 |
9 |
0 |
medium |
|
| Rock Phosphate |
0 |
13 |
0 |
low |
must be ground to 200 mesh powder |
| Fish Emulsion |
4 |
0.1 |
0 |
high |
may attract pests |
| Fish Meal |
10 |
4 |
0 |
high |
may attract pests |
| Leaf Mold |
1 |
0.4 |
1 |
medium |
|
| Seaweed |
1.5 |
0.7 |
5 |
medium |
|
| Cottonseed Meal |
7 |
2.5 |
2 |
high |
may contain pesticide residues |
| Wood Ashes |
0 |
2 |
5 |
high |
hardwood preferred, liming effect. |
| Garden Compost |
1 |
0.3 |
1 |
medium |
varies with ingredients |
| Cow Manure |
0.5 |
0.2 |
0.5 |
medium |
rotted not dehydrated |
| Horse Manure |
0.7 |
0.5 |
0.6 |
medium |
rotted not dehydrated |
| Rabbit Manure |
4 |
3 |
1 |
medium |
rotted not dehydrated |
| Hen Manure |
1.8 |
1 |
0.5 |
medium |
rotted not dehydrated |
| Hog Manure |
0.3 |
0.3 |
0.4 |
medium |
rotted not dehydrated |
| Sheep Manure |
1 |
0.35 |
0.5 |
medium |
rotted not dehydrated |
| Sludge |
4 |
2.5 |
0 |
medium |
may contain toxic metals |
| Granite Dust |
0 |
0 |
6 |
|
virtually insoluble |
| Limestone |
- |
- |
- |
|
used to raise pH |
| Dolomite Limestone |
- |
- |
- |
|
corrects magnesium deficiency and raises pH |
| Peat Moss |
- |
- |
- |
|
improves soil structure |
NOTE: Materials with medium availability - double amounts; materials
with low availability - use four times amount.
*Human, cat and dog feces should not be used due to the danger
of disease.
 |
If you are interested in any of the titles below, click on the title
and it will take you to Amazon.com for ordering. Click on the icon at the left for more
information. |
- Burpee
Seed Starter : A Guide to Growing Flower, Vegetable, and Herb Seeds Indoors and
Outdoors - by Maureen Heffernan - Publication Date: January 1, 1997 - List: $19.95 A
complete, easy-to-use gardening manual covering the basics of starting plants from seed.
Discusses indoor and outdoor cultivation, how to purchase seed, seed viability, gardening
equipment, planting charts and light requirements, planting dates, and other valuable
information. Original.
- Collecting
Processing and Germinating Seeds of Wildland Plants - by Cheryl Young, James A. Young
- Publication Date: October 1, 1986 - List: $24.95
- Enduring
Seeds : Native American Agriculture and Wild Plant Conservation - by Gary Paul Nabhan
- Publication Date: April 1, 1991 - List: $14.00
- From Seed
to Plant - by Gail Gibbons - Publication Date: March 1, 1991 - List: $15.95 Explores
the intricate relationship between seeds and the plants which they produce.
- Kid's
Gardening : A Kid's Guide to Messing Around in the Dirt/With Seeds - by Kevin Raftery,
Kim Gilbert Raftery, Jim M'Guinness - Publication Date: May 1, 1989 - List: $13.95
Now young readers will know from whence those carrots came. This full-color
extravaganza contains nearly a hundred pages of wipe-clean cardstock, hundreds of
illustrations, dozens of growing activities, plus 15 varieties of vegetable, flower, and
herb seeds.
- Principles
of Seed Science and Technology - by Larry O. Copeland, Miller B. McDonald, Lawrence O.
Copeland - Publication Date: March 1, 1995 - List: $74.95
- Saving
Seeds : The Gardener's Guide to Growing and Storing Vegetable and Flower Seeds - by
Marc Rogers, Polly Alexander (Illustrator) - Publication Date: March 1991 - List: $12.95
- Seed to
Seed - by Suzanne Ashworth - Publication Date: January 1, 1995 - List: $20.00
- Seeds
: The Definitive Guide to Growing, History, and Lore - by H. Peter Loewer, Peter Loewer -
Publication Date: April 1, 1996 - List: $25.00
Loewer examines the vast and often surprisingly complex world of seeds in an
unparalleled thoroughness. In addition to the how-to of growing all kinds of plants and
vegetables from seed, the book also considers the role of seeds in history, literature,
and business. 100 line drawings.
- Seeds and
Propagation (Smith & Hawken--The Hands-On Gardener) - by Susan McClure, Jim
Anderson (Illustrator) - Publication Date: June 1, 1997 - List: $10.95
- The New
Seed Starter's Handbook - by Nancy Bubel - Publication Date: April 1, 1988 - List:
$15.95
- Gardening In Deer Country - by Vincent
Drzewucki - Publication Date: January, 1998 - List: $9.95
- 200 Tips for Growing Vegetables in the Northeast - by
Miranda Smith - Publication Date: February 1996 - List: $7.95
- 200 Tips for Growing Vegetables in the Pacific Northwest -
by Maggie Stuckey - Publication Date: February 1996 - List: $7.95
- Building Your
Own Greenhouse (Greenhouse Basics) - by Mark
Freeman, Heather Bellanca (Illustrator) - Publication Date: April 1997 - List: $18.95
- Burpee : The
Complete Vegetable & Herb Gardener : A Guide to Growing Your Garden
Organically - by Karan Davis Cutler, Cavagnarok David
(Photographer), Barbara W. Ellis - Publication Date: November 1997 - List: $29.95
Synopsis:
A companion to Burpee Complete Gardener, this book focuses on all aspects of growing
organic vegetables and edible herbs in the home garden. Planting techniques and tools,
garden design, and more than 90 individual plant portraits are included. 300 full-color
photos.
- Culinary
Gardens : From Garden to Palate - by Susan McClure
- Publication Date: September 1997 - List: $37.95
- Five
Acres and Independence: A Handbook for Small Farm Management - by Maurice Grenville
Kains, Maurice G. Kain - Publication Date: March 1978 - List: $7.95
- Four-Season
Harvest : How to Harvest Fresh Organic Vegetables from Your Home Garden All Year Long
- by Eliot Coleman, Kathy Bary (Illustrator) - Publication Date: October
1992 - List: $19.95
Booknews, Inc. , 01/01/93:
Everyone who grows vegetables must know Coleman. He's the organic methods expert--the one
who knows how to maximize both garden yield and gardening pleasure, year round. Annotation
copyright Book News, Inc. Portland, Or.
- Gardening
Under Cover : A Northwest Guide to Solar Greenhouses, Cold Frames, and Cloches
- by William Head - Publication Date: November 1989 - List: $10.95
This is a complete guide to gardening with protective shelters that encourages both
beginning and experienced gardeners to add months of gardening pleasure at small expense.
With a little under-cover gardening know-how, Pacific Northwest gardeners can take
advantage of our mild climate to produce flowers, herbs, and vegetables throughout the
year.
- Grow It :
The Beginner's Complete In-Harmony-With-Nature Small Farm Guide-From Vegetable and Grain
Growing to Livestock Care - by Richard W. Langer, Susan
McNeill (Illustrator) - Publication Date: January 1994 - List: $12.00
Synopsis:
An indispensable guide to small-scale organic farming that features advice on everything
from building and stocking a pond to planting an orchard or making cheese. This extremely
practical and easy-to-use guide, first published in 1972, is for full-time or part-time
country dwellers/gardeners.
- Growing Great
Garlic : The Definitive Guide for Organic Gardeners and Small Farmers -
by Ron L. Engeland - Publication Date: July 1995 - List: $14.95
- Heirloom
Vegetable Gardening : A Master Gardener's Guide to Planting, Growing, Seed Saving, and
Cultural History - by William Woys Weaver - Publication
Date: June 1997 - List: $45.00
Synopsis:
Weaver focuses on 280 varieties of 37 vegetables in this encyclopedic guide to the history
and cultivation of some of America's most treasured heirloom vegetables. 100+ color
photos. 240 line drawings.
- A Dyer's
Garden : From Plant to Pot Growing Dyes for Natural Fibers - by
Rita Buchanan - Publication Date: August 1995 - List: $9.95
- A Produce
Reference Guide to Fruits and Vegetables from Around the World : Nature's Harvest
- by Donald D. Heaton - Publication Date: April 1997 - List: $29.95
- Growing Plants
from Seed : A Comprehensive Beginners Handbook for Vegetables, Flowers, Herbs and More
- by George Abraham, Katy Abraham, Doc Abraham - Publication Date: January
1992 - List: $13.95
Synopsis:
A guide for first-time seed growers addresses soil mixtures, lighting, types of seed,
seed-starting kits, and more to help any gardener experience the rewarding feeling of
growing flowers and vegetables from seed. Original.
- Peppers : The Domesticated Capsicums - by
Jean Andrews - Publication Date: October 1995 - List: $65.00
Booknews, Inc. , 04/01/96:
An updated edition (first, 1984) of an elegantly produced, scholarly reference on
peppers--their history and dispersion, biology, taxonomy, cultivation, and medicinal,
economic, and gastronomic uses. Illustrated with the author's botanically accurate,
aesthetically pleasing paintings that show the blossoms, buds, young peppers, and mature
specimens of 34 cultivars. A review of the literature, a photo glossary, and an extensive
bibliography add to the volume's reference value. 9x12" Annotation c. by Book News,
Inc., Portland, Or.
- Peppers of the
World : An Identification Guide - by Dave Dewitt,
Paul W. Bosland - Publication Date: January 1997 - List: $19.95
- Plant
Propagation : Principles and Practices - by Hudson
Thomas Hartmann (Editor), Dale E. Kester, Fred T., Jr. Davies - Publication Date: January
1997 - List: $86.00
The publisher, Prentice-Hall Career & Technology :
Hallmarked as the most successful text of its kind, this remarkably thorough text covers
all aspects of the propagation of plants - both sexual and asexual - with considerable
attention given to human (vs natural) efforts to increase plant numbers.
- Forest
Gardening : Cultivating an Edible Landscape - by
Robert A. De J. Hart - Publication Date: September 1996 - List: $17.95
- Handbook of Organic Food Processing and Production -
by Simon Wright (Editor) - Publication Date: October 1994 - List: $119.00
- Introduction to Permaculture - by Bill
Mollison, Reny Mia Slay - Publication Date: November 1997 - List: $16.95
- Profitable Organic Farming - by Jon Newton - Publication
Date: June 1995 - List: $36.95
- The New
Organic Grower : A Master's Manual of Tools and Techniques for the Home and Market
Gardener - by Eliot Coleman, Sheri Amsel (Illustrator), Molly Cook Field
(Illustrator) - Publication Date: October 1995 - List: $24.95
Booknews, Inc. , 05/01/96:
This expansion of a now-classic guide originally published in 1989 is intended for the
serious gardener or small-scale market farmer. It describes practical and sustainable ways
of growing superb organic vegetables, with detailed coverage of scale and capital,
marketing, livestock, the winter garden, soil fertility, weeds, and many other topics.
Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.
- The Art of the Kitchen Garden - by Jan Gertley,
Michael Gertley - Publication Date: January 1999 - List
Price: $34.95
This page was last updated on November 16, 2002