The only fertilizer is from the decomposing mulch and old plant material. Once in a while if I am feeling energetic I will get some old manure and straw from the barn lot, but not very often.

When I plant a new item, I get a bucket full of compost and use it in the planting hole. I put in place under the mulch the kitchen compost bucket which is just coffee grounds, banana peels and other green waste. Usually this goes first to the clematis and then the roses. Sometimes I will scratch in a little lime around plants that require it.

I also use acid additives for those plants requiring more acid in the soil and I do this according to how the plants look. I follow the directions on the packages.

That's about it.

glenda

In spring and later summer I throw a couple handfuls of a slow release pellet (not an organic practice) or an organic fertilizer into the beds. I also compost and of course use that.

I usually add compost when planting something. The kitchen garden is strictly organic, but I use a time-released, all-purpose fertilizer once in early spring for the flower beds.

Because I have mostly perennials in my yard, I hardly use chemical fertilizers. I believe in slow feeding so I use compost, composted manure, bone meals, blood meals. Sometimes I dig in organic materials directly into the soil between perennials.

I use organic mulch (leaves or shredded bark), compost and will be trying homemade compost tea. I add composted manure at planting, except for shrubs, I don't amend their soil at all. But I do mulch, and top-dress them with compost too in spring. I have noticed that it takes a few years for my plants to rival my neighbors' in size, he puts Miracle-Gro on everything. My (potted) geraniums didn't bloom at all, and I wonder if some Shake & Feed would've been the answer? Thanks for asking Laurie, I've often wondered the same thing.

Nope, only compost as you mentioned. Any deadheaded flowers are tossed in place, weeds are removed to the compost pile (but eventually come back in the done compost...oh well), but otherwise, no ferts.

I amend low spots in the fall with big shovel-fuls of the stuff, and a lighter sprinkling around those that are 'ok.'

This year I have some bull-dozing to do in a couple of ugly spots in the beds, so they'll get a full overhaul of compost before being re-done with whatever I decide to change them up with.

I use alfalfa and fish emulsion, but I also put a regular fertilizer on early in the season. I'm a big fan of bone meal as well, especially for new plants. (Iris or daylilies or even cone flowers).

If I'm doing a new bed, I use cotton seed meal and alfalfa and some sustained release fertilizer...bone meal gpoes in the hole before the plant does.
kay

The not really was meant in regards to the flowers.

Tom, I use Espoma Tomato-tone and Garden-tone in the veggie garden. The only things I fertilize are tomatoes and peppers. Everything else seems to grow ok with just compost.

Here is a link that might be useful: Espoma

I'm just getting around to starting a real compost pile. Last year I tried with a Rubbermaid composter and was sorely disappointed. This winter, I plan to stockpile some browns and add the greens as I go, maybe even alfalfa pellets. I know it works. Thanks for the link. We sell Espoma at the store, I even recommend it. :/

I use composted manure and an organic alfalfa based fertilizer in the spring on my roses, but I don't fertilize anything else. A lot of my perennials & annuals really don't need fertilizer (Russian Sage, catmint, sweet alyssum, sedum, lambs ear, cosmos, sunflowers, hardy geranium). I add lots of organic material when starting a new bed and I mulch my beds with fall leaves, straw or shredded bark.