try these websites, I'm not sure if they have the type of stuff for you but it should be worth looking into. Both guys are really nice guys and are typically willing to help with any questions.
www.GreenGuardian.us
www.techterraorganics.com these guys also have nutrients plus that is a hybrid I think.

Good luck

The best "slow release organic fertilizer" you can use is compost. The best source of other plant nutrients you can put into your soil is organic matter. Feed the Soil Food Web and they will feed your plants. There is no need to buy any "fertilizer" if you build up a good, healthy soil.

for extra nitrogen.... soybean meal, alfalfa meal, corn gluten meal...

fish fertilizer... blood meal... feather meal... google them...

Kimmsr: I am a single person with very little to contrubite to the compost pile. I don't have a cow or other animal to assist and quite frankly I don't want to screw around with it.

Thanks for the thought

1eyedJack and the Dawg

Try Milorganite which is available at Lowes or Home Depot.

With Milorganite being a biosolid, I'd keep it away from food crops. IMO. Go with the meals Lou mentions. Just remember to use the corn gluten meal after the crops have sprouted and grew on a bit.

tj

I keep hearing this about biosolids eve class A or better and it just isn't true. Cow manure can have high concentrations of copper and detectable veteranary pharmencutical residue, but no one ever thinks twice about using it on their garden. A product like Milorganite is perfectly safe and no more dangerous than other organic fertilizers. Your tap water that you water your plants with has more hazardous materials in it than Milorganite. I have seen the test results myself. Unless you have a very clean well you may be pouring more on your garden with your water than you think. With that said, both sources are extremely low and even below natural soil concentrations for metals etc.

Read this thread, make your own decision on Milorganite. I err on the side of caution.

tj

Here is a link that might be useful: Milo

The fact still remains it is a very safe and effective product that no one has ever gotten sick from after more than 80 years of use and is cleaner now than it has ever been of any metals etc. There has been no case of Milorganite contaiminating someone's garden with lead, arsenic etc. Show me one documented case of where the people, soil or animals were contaminated or showed elevated levels of metals etc. I will confirm that my yard has elevated levels of Arsenic from a lawn service that put down crab grass killer. This was done before I moved into the house, but my point is there are much more dangerous so called safe products on the market that people use without giving it a second thought. The homeowner before me didn't worry as all he knew was he had a nice looking lawn. Now I am working to reduce the contamination and I only use natural products like Milorganite and corn meal gluten. I am going to do another soil test this year, but since I have owned the home and used only these products, the arsenic levels have slowly reduced. I am hoping they are even lower this year.

(Cole crops dislike acid soil---not that you asked.)

Pardon my ignorance, what is a "Cole" crop? Or did you mean "Cool weather crops" like cabbage or Kale? If the plant does not like a low pH in the soil I would imagine adding some lime would remedy the problem.

Cole crops = Brussels sprout, cabbage, cauliflower, collards, kale, kohlrabi, mustard, broccoli, turnips and watercress.

Couple of good organic brands for individual and mixed fertilizers are Dr.Earth and EB Stone. There is Whitney Farms also. The most bang for the buck is Dr.Earth because you can get it in 25 or 50 # bags or smaller sizes too. The cheapest source is your local county farm supply. My county farm supply saved me $20 for the 50# er from the price at the nursery. Same EXACT product and brand too..Look them up,,I think it's drearth.net or .com,,,the mixed organic fert contain beneficial mycorrhizae's too,,along with the 'meals' etc. They have several nice varierties as well. Good luck.

There will always be zealots in the anti-biosolids area that are long on "it might be a risk" or Europe's standards are lower,yet they still fail to produce real hard data. For example, what they leave out is the load limit of some of these metals, such as copper and lead in class A and even class B biosoilds. You would need to apply Milorganite EVERY year or some other biosolid like it for 345 years for lead and 278 years for copper for it to reach its EPA load limit. That doesn't even account for organic binding, mineralization and leaching/migration of the metals harmlessly in the soil. I don't know about you, but even with long life in my family, I doubt I will be around that long to worry about it. I use Milorganite on everything and I have even seen the independent report and have spoken with an independent scientist who tested it for a bioremediation project for the DoD. She indicated it was lower in metals and other contaminants than the tap water and virgin soil they were going to use in the project. Compare class A biosoilds to Scott's or Ironite sometime and decide which will be better to put down as fertilizer for your kids or pets to play around. BTW, the National Science Foundation did an independent study and risk assessment in 1995 of EPA biosolids regulations and found they were far below any levels that would possibly pose any threat to humans, wildlife, soil or water and agriculture. The zealots seem to overlook this fact as well in their quest to malign well managed practices of biosolid use. There has NEVER been a documented case of the regulated use of biosolids causing harm to people, animals or plants in over 35 years of use in our environment-yet the myth and junk science persists. I will continue to use and benefit from Milorganite on my lawn, veggies, ornamentals like temperate tropicals and palm trees.

virginian: We get it. (1) You like Milorganite. (2) you are going to bring it up in every message you can. (3) When people reply that they don't like it, you will hijack that thread in passionate defense for the product until the rest of us have blood shooting out of our eyeballs.

I do have to thank you for starting multiple threads on several forums where you can make your point without the hijack issues.

1eyedJack, if you are still here, do you have any access to commercial bagged compost or composted manures? Even the stuff for sale at places like Lowe's or HD will work. Cole crops prefer a very fertile and organically rich soil, so while N-heavy organics will help, a more balanced or complete material with a full range of nutrients including the micros - like compost - is preferred. Or worm castings, if you can get them or afford them (not cheap!).

Other than that, all organic fertilizers are by nature slow release. They require the digestive activites of soil organisms to break them down into the soluble elemental forms plant roots are able to access and this process requires time. Soy meal is a good nitrogen source (7-2-2) and should be available at feed stores or farm suppliers, but I'd lean more towards any form of compost first.

And a clarification on the pH preference of cole crops - they don't care for very acidic soil but a pH range of 6.0-6.7 or slightly acidic is preferred. A pH more to the upper end of that range will tend to reduce the incidence of clubroot.

GG48,
Thanks for that information. I have aFishing worm grower about 3 miles away. 3 x 50 lb. bags for $10.00 of worm compost.
I am using that in commercecial potting soil. I am also using Neptune's Harvest fish and seaweek liquid to help with the minors.
I grow only in contains and raised beds without any soil. Less problems with beasties that go bump in the night.

Do you live near Mt. Rainer NP?

gardengal said: Other than that, all organic fertilizers are by nature slow release.

And I'm not saying this just to disagree with her, because by and large she is correct, but blood meal is an exception to that rule. It needs to be diluted or distributed mixed in small amounts with other meals so it doesn't burn your roots.

dawg: Fertrell is an excellent company for organic fertilizers and rock powders; see if you can google it for a local retailer. As for N, the long-term soultion is to grow legumes in your rotation; a 4 or 5 year rotation will give you all the N you need, the natural way. In the meantime, alfalfa meal and compost are a good bet. Regards, Peter.

Jack, I live in about the direct center point of a triangle formed by Mt. Baker in the north, Mt. Rainier to the south and Mt. Olympus to the west, very close to the Sound. On a good, clear day I can see them all if I stand on something tall enough :-))

Thanks for the clarification, dschall. Blood meal, because it dissolves so readily in water, is about as close to a soluble organic fertilizer there is and is therefore much faster acting than most. As is the case with any emulsions like fish or kelp.

Almost every fertilizer with a notable brand name is too expensive and is aimed at the enthusiast rather than the simple grower or gardner. Your local farm supply will have larger (30-40 lb) bagged mushroom compost, chicken manure (high N like the cole crops like), and the soy and cottonseed and alfalfa meals sold mainly for feed but also for fertilizer. Larger and plainer and dual purpose equates to far cheaper. High protein, cheapest store brand, dog food is also an option, but get it scattered and buried immediately.