Organic Fertiliser Plan for Container Grown Vegetables

Ok, so a lot of my seedlings are now young plants...yay!... the fertiliser in the original soil only lasts for 4 to 6 weeks and it's time for me to think about how and with what I intend to fertilise them with.  Regular fertilising is extra important for container gardening as nutrients are easily leached out of the soil during the watering process.

Now as you know, I am new to all of this and still finding my feet but from the information I have gathered here is my plan for the veg


*To apply bi-weekly Ready to Use Liquid Organic Fertiliser (shop bought) - this is 1/2 a capful per plant and is alreaddy diluted mix of 10% 5-2-5 - this I will use right the way through til harvest on the non fruiting veg which need regular fertilser (as some only need to be fertilised at the time of planting so check for individual veg) and on the fruiting veg e.g tomatoes, aubergines, courgettes etc...will switch to Organic Liquid Tomato Fertiliser (shop bought) weekly if I remember rightly - once the plants have flowered - this will encourage the fruits to set and grow to nice juicy sizes.

*To apply a weekly Foliar Spray - I intend to make two types - one which is higher in Nitrogen for the Non Fruiting Veg and one which is higher in Potassium and Phosphorous for the fruiting ones.

Natural Foliar Spray Recipe 1 for Non Fruiting Veg
1 tsp of Neem Powder ( to 250ml of hot water)
1 tsp of Alfalfa
1 tsp of Apple Cider Vinegar to preserve the mix a little
brew overnight, strain it very well so that it will pump through the mist spray this time!
Neem has an NPK of 2.0-5.0//0.5-1.0//1.0-2.0 and for Alfalfa is below
This, plus the cider vinegar will also help as a preventative treatment for insects and fungal diseases

Natural Foliar Recipe 2 for Fruiting Veg
1/2 tsp of dried Alfalfa  2.7//0.5//2.8
1/2 tsp of dried Seaweed Powder 1.0-3.0//1.0-2.0//3.0-5.0
1/2 tsp of dried Comfey Leaves 1.8//0.5//5.3
1/2 tsp of Blackstrap Molasses 0.7//0.5//3.2
1tsp of Apple Cider Vinegar
250ml of water
made as above and again the cider vinegar will work as a preservative and anti-fungicide

Tips for using foliar sprays: apply in the morning when humidity is higher (due to dew) and more easily absorbed, only use in temps up to 72F, don't apply in direct heat of the day/full sunlight, it may scorch the leaves although my recipes are so lightweight, that I think they will be OK :0)

Side Dress - adding fertiliser to the soil
A great link  to which veg benefit from side dressing and when to apply


Again, I intend to use a mix of Alfalfa, Seaweed Powder, Comfrey and also Wheat Bran which has an NPK of 2.6//2.9//1.6 for the fruiting veg and Wheat Bran and Neem for the non fruiting ones.  I am guessing that Alfalfa, Comfrey, Wheat Bran and Seaweed are all quick to decompose and therefore fertilise the soil as they are all also used to activate and speed up the composting process! I will make the mix up together beforehand and just lightly sprinkle in around 1-2 tbs per container and gently mix into the soil. Pin It

Nasturtiums - Companion Planting

Wow! these babies grow like the clappers! they're great for impatient types who get bored waiting to see growth!  Anyway, I decided to start some off these to place in with some of my Veg as companion plants.  

For those who do not know, companion plants are ones which grow well together either to

1) enhance growth and flavour

2) repel non beneficial insects

3) encourage beneficial insects

Nasturtims are a useful companion plant for lots of veg inlcuding radish, cabbage, collards, cauliflower, kale, kohlrabi, broccoli, mustard greens, tomatoes, cucumbers, celery, beans, melon, pumpkin and squash.  They repel bugs, beetles and aphids and in addition to this their flowers are edible, often used in salads!  

Nasturitums are annual plants, whch  grow best in poor soil, with little water and no fertiliser which is not possible when growing alongside other plants which need the opposite.  However, I still intend to use them :0)

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Tomatoes, Aubergine and Sweet Peppers Week 5

Top: Gardener's Delight Cherry Tomato Plants

Bottom: Left & Right: Traffic Lights Sweet Peppers

Centre: Aubergine Black Beauty

Ok, so here is a quick update on these plants, I started them early in February as I simply couldn't wait to sow some seeds!  Next year, I think I may start them off mid March, giving them 6-8 weeks of growing before our last frost date which is early to mid May.

Anyway, I have been growing these under lights since germination, they have had a great start, been fed the chamomile and seaweed tea plus a weak solution of all purpose organic liquid fertiliser once a week.  This week, my instincts told me they need to be in natural light now, OK its still only March and so the window sill light is not too strong, but the temps seem to be OK for them.

So all being well,  here they will stay until I start to harden them off mid April and after that they will be ready to be put in their final containers and go outside into the mini greenhouse until harvest time...I can't wait!!!!!

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