With my previous garden I added actual fertilizer as it was 1-4 years old as I used it. I added truckloads of compost and other organic matter to it, but whipping non productive ground into something that can sustain succession cropping is not an overnight thing.

With my raised beds containing 1/3rd compost by volume and absolutely no soil of any kind I generally do not need to fertilize as long as the compost is replenished every time I plant.

By do not need to fertilize that means most things (veggies) do well with no fertilizer. This is not to say that a little fish emulsion/kelp meal/seaweed fert provided at critical periods in the plant's growth cycle can't be of benefit.

I do use fertilizers - I have only been gardening in any part of my property for 6 years, and for some areas, only a year or 6 months, so my soil in no way approaches excellence, although I have been adding OM as compost, mulch, etc., as much as I can each year. I hope eventually to get to the point that my soil can feed the plants with all the nutrients the plants need, although I will probably continue to add extra lime for my lavenders and lilacs and the other acid-haters, and maybe a little extra acid fertilizer for the acid lovers, despite the native clay being more acid than not here. And I am sure there are some on this forum who would say I was wrong to do so.

The liquid fertilizers tend to be more immediately available to the plants, and the granules or powders need to be broken down by the soil microherd to be available. The microherd has already been encouraged (one hopes) by copious applications of OM. I would say the choice to use either one is in part mediated by deciding whether you think the plants need extras right now, or if you are thinking about what will be needed in the next few weeks and months. Both approaches can be used in the same garden.

I guess what it boils down to, if the soil is truly excellent, and you are continuing to replenish the OM in the soil, that you should need little, if any extra fertilizer. Some plants may need more than others, but with truly excellent soil, it should be very little.

Relying only on fertilizers to produce good plants is just changing the "brand" of gardening from conventional to organic - you need to change your point of view as well, and work more for the total health of the total environment, including the soil, air, water, etc., not just one aspect of it.

If you have good, healthy soil you do not need to fertilize. The only people that need to fertilize are those that do not have a good, healthy soil. Those with good, healthy soils maintain that by adding compost and organic matter as needed, and periodically have a soil test done to be sure the nutrient load is optimal.

I just use compost... In my garden, that's all I've ever needed.

Some of the things I throw on my lasagna garden are considered nitrogen sources. I think coffee grounds are, sort of. I usually toss some dr earth organic fertiliser on, once every year or so. I garden year round. Lasagna gardening creates pretty good stuff to grow in.

Container plantings aside, I haven't fertilized anything in my garden for years. I've stopped counting but it could be as much as 15. And that includes my lawn (I've got a mulching mower). I've even cut back mulching with compost in the last couple of years as growth and vigor of the plants was almost too good and my heavily planted urban garden was rapidly developing into a bit of a jungle.

I should also note that with the exception of a few fruits and berries, this is a purely ornamental garden. All my edibles are grown in containers and they do get treated differently.

I never did use much fert. For the last 2yrs I have not used any except for a light sprinkling for the corn. 2 yrs ago I also began using what I thought was compost/manure tea. Last year I began experimenting with aerated compost tea.

Normally, I put a layer of shredded leaves down in the fall. Last year I didn't do it, so we'll see how this year turns out.

I have seen the soil improve tremendously over the last 6 yrs from the use of leaves in the soil.

I stopped using a tiller about 2yrs ago too. It was hard to get it into the beds ;-)
(its a joke, ha)

Gumby_CT
suffering from Cabin Fever
(more snow Sat?) WHAT!!

I agree with kimm on this one; once the soil in an area is enriched and activated up to a certain level regular fertilizing is un-necessary. I often find that plants I don't fertilize or mess with at all do better. Consistent cover-cropping and above all, keeping some kind of mulch on the ground during the winter over the years is more important.

My veg garden is mature rich soil built by years of adding tons of compost. I mulch when I plant out with a layer of newspaper and cover it with a couple of inches of grass clippings. This cuts down on weeds, moderates soil temp, the newspaper keeps the clipppings from burning, and at the end of the season I turn it under as a good C/N ratio soil amendment. In addition I add about a ton of compost every fall in about a 2500 sq. ft. garden area.

The only fertilizer I use is aerated compost tea. I find it improves yield and improves plant disease resistance. And it's easy to make.

I have an all-year round mulch of shredded leaves. I add such compost as I can make, which is less tha 1/2 inch all round. And I add rock powders as the soil test dictates, which isn't much - usually calcium. Being biodynamic I apply prearations 500 and 501 in the spring. And some years I add kelp meal or granite dust as it takes my fancy.Regards, Peter.

I turned my lasagna beds today, and added some Dr. Earth fertiliser. I know that I am not "supposed to" do this sort of thing, but I do get some psychological benefit from it and the plants seem OK with it as well.

I won't plan on adding any more fertilizer, or turning any more this year, though I will continue to layer on materials that have nutrients (manures, etc.)

I do fertilize the spring bulbs as they come up, and after flowering - I want a very good show from them every year!

I regularly stoke my veggie beds, fruit trees and fruit bushes with a complete organic fertilizer, according to an all-purpose formula given in Steve Solomon's book, Gardening When It Counts. I also use plenty of compost. I mix up the fertilizer myself using cottonseed meal, 2 kinds of lime, gypsum, kelp meal and rock phosphate and it works well.
-O

is rock phosphate organic?

and why gypsum?

With little to no microbial activity in cool maritime Spring climates growing is tough without supplemental N fertilizer. I use fish emulsion. Tom

I dig in compost, kitchen waste each planting. If that bed is planted 3 times in a season it gets 3 portions of compost. and mulch in the fall. I need lime here for my slightly acid soil, so I use some dolomite lime or oyster shell. The dolomite lime has magnesium. My garden gets all of my wood ashes and egg shells too.
I let my plants test the soil for me, Just by looking at the plants you can tell what they may be short on.
and If I run short on compost I plant a lower feeding veggie in one of the uncomposted beds.
I started a system of feeding the worms and it seems to work. No tilling, but I dig in some of the winter mulch each spring.

I fertilize every year with my choice of alfalfa pellets, ordinary corn meal, or corn gluten meal. This year it's alfalfa. I fertilize the lawn at 10-20 pounds per 1,000 square feet on the Federal holidays. I fertilize the shrubs monthly with a handful scattered under each plant.

Hooray:
Gypsum because it contains sulfur.
Re rock phosphate, I think it is mainly ground rock.
-O

Fellow gardeners:
I get the impression from some of these posts that some of you worry that it's a sign of weakness or a personal defect if you can't keep a veggie garden going on just compost. "Good, healthy soil" doesn't just happen these days - usually when you start a garden the soil is going to need a lot of help getting to the state where it can grow good veggies. And every year those veggies will take nutrients out of the soil that need to be replaced. Conditions vary regionally, too. Soils in some parts of the country are better than others - due to many factors.

So go ahead and fertilize if you need to - with your head held high! Feed your veggies so they can feed you.
-O

I think the critical thing to understand is that fertilizer is not needed for healthy growth in soil that is well conditioned through years of organic inputs.

The key points to focus on is that most soils require years of organic inputs and we aren't talking about a light dusting with compost either. We are talking about modifying the soil so around 30+ percent is organic matter.

We also aren't talking about growing award winning giant pumpkins in that soil, we are talking about plants that grow healthy and reasonably.

Most trees, shrubs and perennials grow well in soils with low to moderate fertility and compost alone is more than capable of doing the job.

Annuals grown for effect whether it be an ornamental flower or high yielding veggy will almost always benefit from understanding the plant's growth cycle and environmental requirements for not just good, healthy growth, but optimal yields and then meeting them. Some perennial plants grown for fruit also qualify.

If one wants a nice looking yard full of healthy plants that do well, compost alone is sufficient.

If one wants a 5lb tomato or a 1000# + pumpkin then one best start researching the plant's nutrient requirements and fertilizers that will optimally meet them.

Justaguy:
What I would add to your excellent analysis is that it's not just the prize-winning veg that you fertilize for - it's the veg with optimal nutrition and flavor.

To achieve that, the soil needs to contain, as you say, certain elements. If those elements aren't in the soil to begin with, it is difficult for compost made from local materials (that grew in the same soil) to provide them.

You are right to make the distinction between what's needed for healthy ornamentals and for veggies/fruits. Two different sets of requirements.
-O

Most people that disputed what I said in another post have said just what I did there, "A good, healthy soil does not need any fertilizer". To know whether you have a good healthy soil means looing at your soil in depth, including a good, reliable soil test.
Rock Phosphate is an acceptable organic soil amendment, if it is found to be needed by a good, reliable soil test. It comes from mining a mineral that is ground into a powder. With other, similar materials (granite dust) these can increase needed major nutrients in the soil, over time. Adding these types of materials this spring will do nothing, even for those with a really active Soil Food Web, this year but will increase levels in the future.
Common sense, environmental considerations, and how much money to spend should enter into your "should I apply this material" equation.
Does your soil need it?
How do you know?

If your soil does not need this material what would be the consequences of adding it anyway? Are you contributing to the pollution of your environment?

I empty my bunny boxes on the garden. Fertilizer and mulch in one. I should dehydrate it and sell it to city folks.