There is no best. You use what a soil test says you need and/or you tailor your fertilizing to a specific type of vegetable. You can't treat them all the same as they have different nutrient requirements.

Rodney

Yikes, I sure don't use different fertilizers for all of the assorted veggies!

A soil well endowed with organic matter that drains well but retains moisture well. A soil with a pH in the 6.0 to 7.00 range and balanced nutrient levels.

You start by taking a good look at the soil you have and determine what is there and what is necessary to add by having a good reliable soil test done for soil pH and nutrient levels as well as the level of organic matter and that will suggest what you need to do to make the soil into a good healthy soil that will grow strong and healthy plants.

Contrary to the belief of some a "fertilizer" that smells bad is not necessarily good, better, or best. Compost, good compost smells like good rich earth, is always a good addition, to a point, as is any vegetative waste. Soil organic matter level of 6 to 8 percent is an indication of a good healthy soil.

Cornell Cooperative Extension Service is a good place to have a soil test done and these simple soil tests may help as well.

1) Soil test for organic
material. From that soil sample put enough of the rest to make a 4 inch level in
a clear 1 quart jar, with a tight fitting lid. Fill that jar with water and
replace the lid, tightly. Shake the jar vigorously and then let it stand for 24
hours. Your soil will settle out according to soil particle size and weight.
For example, a good loam will have about 1-3/4 inch (about 45%) of sand on the
bottom. about 1 inch (about 25%) of silt next, about 1 inch (25%) of clay above
that, and about 1/4 inch (about 5%) of organic matter on the top.

2) Drainage. Dig a hole
1 foot square and 1 foot deep and fill that with water. After that water drains
away refill the hole with more water and time how long it takes that to drain
away. Anything less than 2 hours and your soil drains’ too quickly and needs
more organic matter to slow that drainage down. Anything over 6 hours and the
soil drains too slowly and needs lots of organic matter to speed it up.

3) Tilth. Take a handful
of your slightly damp soil and squeeze it tightly. When the pressure is
released the soil should hold together in that clump, but when poked with a
finger that clump should fall apart.

4) Smell. What does your
soil smell like? A pleasant, rich earthy odor? Putrid, offensive, repugnant
odor? The more organic matter in your soil the more active the soil bacteria
will be and the nicer your soil will smell, to a point. Too much organic matter
can be bad as well.

5) Life. How many
earthworms per shovel full were there? 5 or more indicates a pretty healthy soil. Fewer than 5,
according to the Natural Resources Conservation Service, indicates a soil that
is not healthy.

kimmq is kimmsr

Oh, it's very informative! :)
Thanx for this explanation! ;)

"Yikes, I sure don't use different fertilizers for all of the assorted veggies!"

I didn't mean you have to have a different fertilizer for every type of vegetable. Just that not all vegetables need the same thing at the same time in the same amount. There is no "best" or one-size-fits-all solution. You don't just throw some fertilizer down. You determine what the plant needs based on observations and growing habit. You wouldn't put bloodmeal down where you are growing carrots but it would be okay for something leafy (assuming the plants need it), just for an example. There are many general purpose organic fertilizers one can choose from but again you don't apply the same amount to everything at the same time. Hence why I said that you "tailor your fertilizing to a specific type of vegetable".

Rodney

A lot of good info in the replies, but a simple answer to your question is:

Liquid fish and seaweed fertilizer seems to be a good safe general organic fertilizer.

I will say that I don't use it on my root crops, because I don't like fish flavored carrots/potatoes/beets! It does have a fishy smell, but it isn't terrible, it reminds me of living by the bay.

One of the reasons it works so good, is it helps the beneficial bacteria in your soil that kimmsr mentioned. I also add unsulphured molasses to my liquid to also help feed beneficial soil microbes and fungi as glib mentioned. Of course all of this last statement is irrelevant if you don't have enough organic matter in your soil. Compost is king.

All the advice above is excellent.

However, if you are not interested in all the testing and knowledge involved in finding "the best" and would rather go with "good enough most of the time", I would look for a balanced complete organic fertilizer mixture for heavy feeding vegetables (tomatoes, squash, potatoes, corn). The ratio on the label will be something like 5-5-5.

Examples:

• Down To Earth All Purpose or Vegan
• Espoma Tomato-tone or Garden-tome
• Dr. Earth Organic Tomato, Vegetable & Herb
• Black Lake Organic #11 Cascadia Gold

Keep in mind that most of the amendments in these mixes actually feed the soil ecosystem rather than the plants directly. Which is just a way of saying that they will take time (a couple of weeks for most to a couple of months in the case of Potassium) for the bacteria and fungus to process the materials and make them available to the plants.

Keep in mind that a basic premise of organic growing is that an organic grower needs a good healthy soil that will grow strong and healthy plants and simply guessing and tossing a bunch of "stuff" into the soil, without knowing what is needed is not a good way to get that good healthy soil.

There are very good reasons for taking an in depth look at the soil and for soil testing. Many people stumble along and grow foods in soils not good and healthy and have problems with plant diseases and insect pests that strong and healthy plants are better able to withstand. Many of those problems are the result of an imbalance in the soil that is not known because a soil test was not done.

kimmq is kimmsr

A proper balance of soil nutrients is the aim. This is best achieved in the fall after harvest. The good news is that the same balance is good for most vegetables, which fits the crop rotation notion like a glove. As has been said, this requires soli testing (not every year by any means) and making up any identified deficiencies; otherwise Leave Well Alone.. Organic growers prefer rock powders to regular fertilizers as nutrient sources. All this said, there is one additive that is appropriate during the growing season: aerated compost tea. Regards, Peter.

"Organic growers prefer rock powders to regular fertilizers as nutrient sources."

That's a pretty broad statement :-) I garden organically and have never used rock powders! And it is hard to imagine ANY rock powder supplying the quantity of organic matter and therefore the N that any vegetable garden will typically require.

And FWIW, all aerated compost tea will provide is a very dilute form of nutrients. You will get more value from just mulching the beds routinely with compost as-is.

gardengal48, I'm curious, should we infer from your comment that the only fertilizer you use is organic matter? Obviously organic matter will only contain the mineral nutrients that were in the soil it came from. Elements missing here abouts (in Michigan) would be selenium and boron for sure, and zinc and copper possibly -- all essential elements. As for nitrogen, the only way to obtain sufficient quantities organically is to supplement organic matter with legumes in rotation and manure. The only nitrogen that comes in a bag these days is artificially produced (Haber-Bosch process).. There used to be nitrogen-in-a-bag in the form of Chilean nitrates rock powders , but I haven't seen it lately. The rock powder that makes my point best is rock phosphate; it's most abundant mineral content is calcium (no one should be without 'um), second is phosphate, and then most of the other mineral nutrients in small quantities. Like I once saw on an item bought in Change Alley in Singapore "Once try, always use". Trace minerals in general might best be covered by small applications of granite powder and kelp meal, Regards, and plentiful harvests, Peter.

peter, over the years all I have added to my sandy soil is organic material and the soil tests tell me that from a starting soil pH of 5.7 and very low NPK, Ca and Mg that soil has gone to a soil pH of 7.2 with high optimum levels of P, K, Ca, Mg, and others. Compost, shredded leaves, cover crops, are what has been added to the soil with no rock powders. Michigan soils tend to be low in many micro nutrients as well as Magnesium but adding sufficient quantities of organic material will bring those numbers up to optimal levels with no problem and without spending money, unnecessarily, on exotic materials.

kimmq is kimmsr

kimmq: that's great, and if you're happy with it keep going. But I do wish to stress an obvious point that's apparently so obvious: compost is where it comes from. You're happy with your soil test, but did it show adequate selenium and boron? They're both essential for human (and therefore plant) nutrition. I too adore compost, but don't you find that adding nothing else results in poor nutrient balance? My experience has been too much magnesium, which since it competes for position on the minute clay particle, lowers calcium and potash. And what about nitrogen? are you testing the recommended (for organic growers) 100 lbs per acre? Regards, Peter.

Selenium and boron are used in infinitesimal levels by plants. They seldom need to be supplemented in most home gardens. And yes, I do only supply organic matter in the form of compost as a fertilizer - have never needed to supplement with anything else. I have used alfalfa meal from time to time - more so when I had pet bunnies (alfalfa available freely from them in a slightly recycled form) and that is a perfectly acceptable form of organic N. As is cottonseed meal, bat guano and blood meal. And most definitely compost!!

peter asked, "but don't you find that adding nothing else results in poor nutrient balance? "

As I have posted here many times over the years the soil tests I have had done indicate that by just adding compost to this sandy soil the soils pH has gone from 5.7 to 7.2 and other nutrients have gone from low to high optimum and those nutrients are in balance.

Where does that "recommended (for organic growers) 100 lbs per acre of Nitrogen come from. When I worked with Michigan Organic Growers establishing the standards for certifying organic growers in Michigan we never set any such number and I have not seen or heard of any such number since. Available Nitrogen is dependent on a number of things and that is one reason that soil testers no longer test for Nitrogen in soil.

What have your soil tests shown over the years, peter?

kimmq is kimmsr

I have used rock dust in the past to help mineralize soils. However since I already use shredded fall leaves for mulch and compost, I have discontinued the use of rock powders. Trees reach deep in the earth and pull up minerals that are unavailable in the top soil. The leaves contain these minerals and transfer them to the topsoil when they decompose.

At least where I live, fall leaves are a free resource and have the additional advantage of releasing nutrients in a plant available form in months rather than the years needed for rock powders. This video from One Yard Revolution convinced me that leaves, compost, and organic fertilizers were all I needed to have highly fertile soil.

Let me provide answers in turn. 1. gardengal; infinitesimal certainly, but essential nevertheless for both plant and human nutrition. As for availability from the soil, let me tell you a story. There was a man on the Michigan Composting Council, this was about 20 years ago, whose sons grew organic spinach in the Bay area in great quantities for sale to a national baby food manufacturer. Now you may know that spinach is a heavy (although still infinitesimal) user of boron, and they had to test tissue and soil and supplement soil boron frequently - there's a handy organic liquid supplement used by farmers. 2. Richard: super! Trees and forbs like barrage and 3-year alfalfa all dig down deep. That's why quality compost has to include leaves or plants cultivated for compost (see Jeavons on this) to enable one to make enough of the stuff.. More later, must run. Regards, Peter.

kimmq; The idea of not testing for nitrogen has always struck me as very odd. Since it is the first critical nutrient wouldn't it be necessary to discover when we have too little or too much? Fortunately the organic soil testers I've used over the past 40 years both test for nitrogen; they are Crop Services International, Grand Rapids, and Bio-Systems, Marlette. Although the latter will only test nitrogen from samples taken in mid season. I note that CSI's standard was 40-80 lbs per for nitrate and 40-80 lbs for ammonia. I have always assumed that the intent here is that together the measure should be 120 lbs because nitrate converts to ammonia. I can't find the 100 lbs reference, although I remember that it was 50 ,lbs nitrate and 50 lbs ammonia. It either came fro Bio-Systems of from Acres USA's annual conferences which, I confess, I have attended these 50 years past. So do I conclude from your post that you don't measure nitrogen in your soil? As for my garden, the earliest record I've retained is 1998 organic matter 10.7% and c.e.c. 15.7. The latest I have (I test every 4 years) is o.m 9.7% (going backwards!) and c.e.c. 22.3. Now I regard c.e.c as quite the best overall measure if fertility potential. One consequence is that calcium measures at 7500 lbs per, with base saturation at 84%, which is lots of calcium, and all the other nutrients. Having said that, "potential" is the key word. The acid test for me is BRIX, that is what's in the food, not what's in the soil. And this year's BRIX readings have been quite low; about the best has been raspberries at 11 (14 is excellent). and, which makes your point perfectly, the only supplement they have ever had is compost. Regards, Peter. .

kimmq; not 50 years, but 20 (at Acres). Poor editing. Peter.

gardengal, a little more on "infinitesimal" selenium. I remembered the other day reading that when the Chinese Empire was fighting the Mongols from the steppes, the Chinese fought in horse-drawn chariots, while the Mongols were mounted. The reason for the difference was that Chinese horses couldn't carry an armed warrior, because Chinese agriculture had removed all the selenium from their soil which couldn't support robust horses. ,Mongol horses ate grass from the steppes, where there were normal selenium levels. Regards, Peter.

Peter ,

Good information. You made my day.

Thanks

As it was explained to me, peter, Nitrogen availability is highly dependent on soil temperature, so early season testing for N availability is not going to even closely approximate what may be available later in the season. I was told, both as a member of the standards committee of Organic Growers of Michigan and in my Master Gardener classes, that the soil scientist found that they were recommending too much N and most of it simply washed out of the soil and into the ground water creating the problem of nitrate poisoning from our water supply.

kimmq is kimmsr

LOL!! I would love to know who it was around back in those days testing Chinese soils for selenium levels. Which wasn't even discovered until 1817!! How in the world would anyone then have known it was deficient?? I am not at all sure how relevant that little "factoid" is to this discussion anyway.

gardengal: I don't think anyone expects that Chinese horsemen have known about selenium or that its absence caused horses raised in China to be unfit. I do expect, however, that modern veterinarians, knowing the symptoms of selenium deficiency in horses, found references to those same symptoms in Chinese accounts from 2000 years ago. The importance of this example is to recognize that selenium is an essential nutrient that's now missing in mid-Western farm soils. Not infinitesimal, but absent. Regards, Peter.