Dear Helen: I appreciated your March 19 column with suggestions for nurturing the soil. You mentioned the benefits of using a slow-release fertilizer when preparing for planting. Can you recommend a pre-mixed, slow-release fertilizer for my vegetable boxes?
F.B.
There are many vegetable garden fertilizer blends available. Your first decision in selecting one will be whether to use a chemically processed product or a natural-source product. Since the early 1980s I’ve used only natural source fertilizers, including liquid fish and seaweed fertilizers for transplanting.
By natural-source fertilizers I mean blends that include such elements as seed and fish meals for nitrogen, rock phosphate for phosphorus, and kelp meal for potassium.
I mix my own, but often supplement with Reindeer’s Natural Plant Foods blend for vegetable gardens. It has an even balance among the three major nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium) as well as a wealth of trace minerals that contribute to plant growth and health.
All the ingredients in this product are certified organic and, because there is no “filler” material, a small amount only is needed. I’ve used Reindeer products for years, with great satisfaction. They are based in Lake Cowichan.
Natural-source fertilizers don’t feed plants directly. They nourish and activate the teeming mass of microorganisms that work to create a healthy and health-giving soil as they release the nutrients plants need to grow well and produce nutrient-dense food.
Before I plant any vegetables I prepare the site with compost, lime (except for potatoes), and a natural-source fertilizer. Such blends release their nutrients over a period of several months, eliminating the need for follow-up fertilizing. The only supplemental sort of feeding I give is an early summer top dressing of compost around the longer-term vegetable plantings like carrots, kale, tomatoes and squash.
I mix the same kind of fertilizer blend into the potting mixes I put together for container vegetables and flowers. Except for the tomatoes, which get a July watering with a fish and seaweed blend, I don’t fertilizer container plantings as I water them. The natural-source fertilizer in the soil mix releases slowly to ensure the potted flowers and vegetables remain good-looking and productive through the summer.
GARDEN EVENTS
Rock and alpine show and sale — The Vancouver Island Rock and Alpine Garden Society will host a Spring Show and Sale on Friday, April 1, 1 to 8 p.m., and Saturday, April 2, 1 to 5 p.m., at the Mary Winspear Centre in Sidney. The show will feature rock, alpine, woodland and bog plants as well as demonstrations of crevice and bog gardens. Details at virags.com.
Heather sale — The Vancouver Island Heather Society is back with its popular sale on Saturday, April 2, at the Stu Armour Building, Cobble Hill Fairgrounds on Fisher Road. The sale will begin at 10 a.m. and last until noon or until sold out. Master Gardeners will be on hand to answer questions. For details and a list of plants that will be on sale visit bcheathersociety.org. The over 1,000 plants include longstanding popular varieties to new and novel heathers.
Dahlia sale — The Victoria Dahlia Society will once again hold its tuber sale on-line. An email list of members selling dahlia tubers can be obtained by emailing [email protected] on or after Saturday, April 2. Buyers can then contact individual growers for their list of dahlia tubers.
VHS meeting — The Victoria Horticultural Society is hosting a Zoom meeting on Tuesday, April 5, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Dr. Linda Chalker-Scott, an urban horticulturist and professor in the Department of Horticulture at Washington State University, will draw on her work in soil science research in her presentation on all things soil — What makes for healthy garden soil and how to nurture it. Drop-in fee for non-members is $5. To register, visit vichortsociety.org.
Plantaholics sale — The Mill Bay Plantaholics plant sale will continue online, with the list of available (mainly ornamental) plants going out on Sunday, April 10, to those who have asked to be placed on the customer list. Pickup of orders will be on Saturday, April 23, at 2836 Oceanside Lane in Mill Bay, where Master Gardeners will be on hand to answer questions. To be added to the customer list, contact Elaine at TheScottRogers@aolcom.
