So, it's definitely not a put blood meal down at the beginning of the growing season and you're done for the rest of the season. No, it is more like 'whoah, my plants have an obvious N deficiency and I need to correct it ASAP, so I will use blooodmeal'. Bloodmeal is kind of the organic equivalent of Miracle Grow in that it acts fast and doesn't last long. It requires little in the way of soil fauna processing prior to being usable by plants. I recently talked with a fertrell representative about their products and it became obvious that they had a variety of different components in their product with different release rates, similar to what you are discussing. All of these individual components using the fertrell products would be incorporated into the soil at the same time, recognizing I presume that they break down at different rates. I know nothing about Fertrell products. However, there are makers of organic and partly organic products (Epsoma) that combine ingredients to have different release rates to provide more sustained feeding and fewer applications. This is similar to synthetic fertilizer products that have various coatings of various thicknesses to vary their release rate. Well, wouldn't this imply that I could do something similar with off the shelf products? Yes, you just need to know what each 'product' brings to the table in terms of nutrients and how quickly/slowly those nutrients become available to plants. This can be a bit complicated which makes pre packaged solutions attractive despite their greater cost. If I mess up and guess wrong, and the plants show it, do I just give them a shot of fish emulsion or what? I would suggest that you focus right now on raising the overall fertility of your soil generically. Add generous amounts of organic matter: compost, manure, table scraps etc. What this does is it gets your soil into good shape to grow most anything. After that you only supplement what is lacking. There really is no point in chasing nutrient deficiencies. It is a losing battle. Build up soil fertility generically and use fertilizers to make up for what is lacking only. Unless your garden is pure sand in the desert or on a beach your soil will hold on to all nutrients long enough to be used up by plants. The sole exception is nitrogen which leaches and becomes a gas easily. For this nutrient alone many organic (or synthetic) growers supplement during the growing season. For all other nutrients a regular addition of organic matter is more than enough. My advice for adding N is to forget about blood meal as it is usually expensive and it is easy to over apply. Personally I use soybean meal for my lawn and my gardens. It is roughly 7% N by weight. To fertilize the lawn I spread it at the rate of 10-20lbs per 1,000 sq feet which amounts to a light dusting. This lasts at least a month for high N plants such as turf grass. There is more than N in the soybean meal, of course, but it is the N that I use it for. Please, when growing in soil (as opposed to containers) don't focus on fertilizers, but instead focus on overall soil fertility. Raise it up with organic matter and only supplement as needed. N is the nutrient most likely to require supplementation.

Melissa, You're welcome. Here's the list of vegetable varieties suitable for growing in containers. This is not an all-inclusive list but it does give you several options for each type of vegetable on the list. With certain vegetables, like bush beans, for example, literally any variety available can be grown in containers. With tomatoes, literally any variety can be grown in containers, although the larger the mature size of the plant, the larger the container it will need. This year, I had several varieties of tomatoes, including Chocolate Stripes, Momotaro, Tropic and Red Defender reach 7' in height in molasses feed tub containers, which probably hold about 20 gallons of soil. Many other tomato plants, including Scarlet Red, Glacier, Sophie's Choice, New Big Dwarf and Red Defender reached about 3 to 4' or so in 7-gallon containers. Still others, including Ildi, Sioux, San Marzano Redorta, and Yellow Ball reached a height of 5' or taller in kitty litter buckets that hold about 5 gallons of soil. All of the container-grown plants produced heavily all season long. So, matching your plants' ultimate size to a container of the right size pays off. If I know where the seeds are usually offered online, I mention the company. However, some companies haven't updated their websites for 2010 so I can't say that they'll have the seed for 2010, just that they usually have it. Dawn Here's the abbreviations for the sources: BCHS = Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds www.rareseeds.com BURP = Burpee Seeds www.burpeeseeds.com CG = The Cook's Garden www.cooksgarden.com CON = Containerseeds.com (I only listed broccoli for this company but it probably has many of the varieties on this list) JSCH = John Scheepers Kitchen Garden Seeds www.kitchengardenseeds.com NIC = Nichols Garden Nursery www.nicholsgardennursery.com PARK = Park Seed www.parkseed.com PINE = Pinetree Seeds www.superseeds.com VS = Victory Seeds www.Victoryseeds.com SSE = Seed Savers Exchange www.seedsavers.org SESE = Southern Exposure Seed Exchange www.southernexposure.com TGSC = Tomato Growers Supply Company www.tomatogrowers.com TT = Totally Tomatoes www.totallytomatoes.com BEANS: Roma II (BCHS, VS, BUR) Contender (BCHS, VS, BUR) Top Crop (VS) Gina (romano type) (NIC) Provider (PINE, SESE, SSE, BUR) Tendergreen (PINE, SSE) Bush Blue Lake (BCHS, BUR, PINE, SESE) Sequioia Purple Roma (BUR) Royalty Purple Pod (BCHS, NIC, PINE, SSE, SESE) Golden Wax Improved (VS) BEANS, LIMA Thorogreen (NIC) Henderson Bush (BCHS, PINE, SESE) Bush Jackson Wonder (BCHS, SESE) Fordhook 242 (SESE) BEETS Red Ace (PINE) Golden Globe (BUR, SSE) Cylindra (BCHS, BUR, NIC, PINE, SSE) Ruby Queen (PINE, VS) Burpee's Red Ball (BUR) Bull's Blood (highly ornamental foliage) (BUR) BROCCOLI Early Dividend (Territorial Seed used to carry it but I haven't bought it in several years so don't know if they still do.) Small Miracle (PARK, CON) Packman (NIC) CABBAGE Gonzales Mini-Cabbage (PINE) Red Acre (SESE, VS) Golden Acre (VS) Savoy Express (JSCH) Primero Red (JSCH) Caraflex (JSCH) CARROTS Adelaide Baby (JSCH) Short 'N Sweet (BUR) Thumbelina (BUR) Little Finger (PINE, VS) Minicor (JSCH, NIC) Mokum (PINE) Parisian/Tonda di Parigi (PINE) Red-Cored Chantenay (BUR, VS) Improved Nantes (VS) Scarlet Nantes (VS) Parmex (JSCH, CG) CAULIFLOWER: Early Snowball (SESE) Igloo (PINE) CHARD: any---they all get about the same size CORN (SWEET): Early Sunglow (BUR, NIC) Blue Jade (dwarf) (SSE) Quickie (PINE) Golden Bantam (BUR, SESE) CUCUMBER: Salad Bush (NIC, PINE, TT, BUR) Spacemaster (PINE, BUR, SESE) Bush Champion (BUR) Fanfare (TT) Picklebush (BUR) Bush Crop (PINE, VS) Homemade Pickles (PINE, VS, TT) Muncher (PINE) Bush Pickle (TT) Ellen's Family White (pickling) (SESE) Arkansas Little Leaf H-19 (pickling) (SESE) EGGPLANT: Bambino (BUR, CG) Fairy Tale (BUR, NIC)) Long Purple (BUR) Slim Jim (PINE) Raveena (PINE) White Fingers (PINE) Applegreen (BCHS, SESE, SSE) Casper (SSE) Diamond (SSE) Neon (CG) LETTUCE: any, but here's some of the more compact ones Tom Thumb (heads get tennis-ball sized) (NIC, SESE, VS) Little Gem (VS) Tennis Ball (SESE) This variety was grown by Thomas Jefferson at Monticello Bronze Mignonette (VS) Buttercrunch (SESE) MELONS: These would need large containers--nothing smaller than the size of a half-whiskey barrel or child's wading pool. Old stock tanks are great for growing melons too. Minnesota Midget (BCHS, SSE) Green Machine (BCHS) Sleeping Beauty (BCHS) OKRA: Little Lucy (NIC, PARK) Baby Bubba (BUR) Pitre's Short Bush Red Cowhorn 3' tall (BCHS) Vidrine's Midget Cowhorn Okra (BCHS) Choppee (SESE) Dwarf Green Long Pod (VS) ONION: any short-day or intermediate types or any bunching types PEAS: Little Marvel (SESE) Sugar Bon (BUR) Snowbird Snow Pea (BUR) Knight (PINE) Lincoln (aka Homestead) DeGrace Snow Pod (BCHS) Oregon Sugar Pod II Snow Pea (BCHS) Wando (BUR, SESE, VS) Laxton's Progress No. 9 (VS) Sugar Ann (SESE, VS) Dwarf Gray Sugar (BUR, SESE, VS) Tom Thumb (SESE) Oregon Trail (NIC) Sugar Spring (NIC) PEPPERS: almost any pepper can be grown in containers, but these few listed here are especially compact Hot: Biker Billy Jalapeno (BUR) Pizza (NIC, TT) Super Chile (TT) TAM Jalapeno #1 (TT) Thai Demon Red (NIC) Medium: Tangerine Dream (BUR) Blushing Beauty (TT) Redskin Red Bell (TT) Mini Belle Mix (TT) Mini Bell Choc (TT) Mini Bell Yellow (TT) POTATOES any fingerling type like Russian Banana, Austrian Crescent, etc. Red Pontiac or Red Norland any other potato can be grown in very large containers PUMPKINS Cheyenne Bush (SSE) Orange Smoothie (semi-determinate) (BUR, PINE) Jack-B-Little (trellised) (BCHS, NIC, PINE) Wee-B-Little (trellised) (NIC, PINE) RADISHES: any type excet the very large winter radishes or the very long Daikon types Cherry Belle (PINE, NIC, SESE, VS) French Breakfast/Early French Breakfast (BCHS, NIC, PINE, VS) Easter Egg II Blend (TT) White Hailstone (BCHS, PINE, VS) Pink Beauty (BCHS, BUR) Purple Plum (BCHS, SSE, VS) Early Scarlet Globe (VS) SQUASH (Summer): Peter Pan Green Scallop (BUR) Sunburst Scallop (PINE) Saffron (PINE) Eight Ball (NIC, PINE) Greyzini (NIC) Ronde De Nice (PINE) Cocozelle (NIC, PINE) Early White Bush Scallop (VS) Yellow Bush Scallop (VS) Papaya Pear (NIC, PINE) SQUASH (Winter): Bon Bon (NIC) Butterbush (BUR) Autumn Glow Butternut (BUR) Bush Table Queen (BUR, SESE) Bush Buttercup (BCHS) Early Acorn (BUR) Cornell's Bush Delicata (NIC, PINE) Blue Baby Hubbard (BUR) TOMATOES: You can grow some ultra-small tomato plants in containers as small as 4" (Red Robin or Micro-Tom), in hanging baskets (Tumbler, Tumbling Tom, Florida Basket) and in larger 5 to 20-gallon containers, taking care to put Determinates in 5 to 10 gallon containers and Indeterminates in 7 to 20+ containers. Here's some varieties that do well in containers. Micro-Tom (TGSC) Florida Basket (TGSC) Elfin (TGSC) Small Fry (TGSC, TT) Tiny Tim (TT) Tumbler (TT, BUR) Tumbling Tom Red (PINE, TT, TGSC) Tumbling Tom Yellow (PINE, TT, TGSC) Balcony (CG) Red Robin (TT) Orange Pixie (NIC, TGSC) Canary Yellow (TGSC) Totem (TGSC) Patio VF (TT) Patio Princess (BUR) Window Box Roma (NIC, TGSC) Bush Early Girl (BUR, PIN, TGSC) Better Bush (PINE) Bush Big Boy (BUR) Bush Goliath (PINE, TT) Bush Beefsteak (TT, TGSC) Bushsteak (BUR) Martino's Roma (PINE, TT) Sweet Baby Girl (BUR, NIC, TGSC) Lime Green Salad (BCHS, TGSC, VS) New Big Dwarf (TGSC) Southern Night (a rare black determinate since most black tomatoes are indeterminate) (TGSC) Green Grape (TGSC, VS) Glacier (SESE, TT, TGSC) Husky Red (TT,TGSC) Husky Cherry Red (TT,TGSC) Mountain Princess (BCHS, SESE) Sophie's Choice (SESE) Green Zebra (NIC, VS) Black Sea Man (TT) WATERMELON: You should grow these in containers no smaller than 20 gallons, such as whiskey half-barrels, children's wading pools, trash cans or stock tanks. Melons (and pumpkins too, in fact) need a lot of water and have very vigorous root systems so the large containers are necessary in order for them to do well. Bush Sugar Baby (BUR) Sugar Baby (BUR) Blacktail Mountain (BCHS) Golden Midget (BGHS) Yellow Doll (NIC)

While keeping the planting beds well mulched creates conditions that slugs find very nice to live in I find little damage to plants unless the level of the mulch falls below an inch of two. Apparently I also have created conditions that toads, garter snakes, and lots of birds find very liveable and they are quite prolific in my garden and help control the slugs for me. If I do have a problem simply spraying the affected plants with cold, caffienated coffee repels the slugs.

Found a fantastic link which explains the many forms of calcium: http://waltsorganic.com/ag-lime-dolomite-gypsum-oyster-shellwhat-kind-of-calcium-do-you-need/ Agricultural Lime: Calcium carbonate – CaC03 Pure calcium carbonate is used to help prevent the spread of various diseases, such as powdery mildew, black spot, and blossom end rot ... Adding Ag. Lime to your soil will also raise your PH making it more alkaline. Dolomite: Dolomitic Lime contains calcium carbonate, bringing benefits similar to Ag Lime, while also providing magnesium which is important for plants’ utilization of nitrogen, phosphorus and sulfur. Having an excess of magnesium in your soil can cause a break down in soil structure, resulting in hard compact soils. Gypsum: Calcium sulfate, or Sulfate of Lime – CaS042H20, due to its sulfur content Gypsum does not raise the soil PH like lime, and there is some debate as to whether it lowers soil PH. Gypsum helps liberate potash for plant use. Gypsum can also help break up compact and clay filled soils by correcting excess amounts of magnesium in your soil. Oyster Shell Flour: in addition to a large percentage of calcium carbonate, Oyster shell flour contains about 1-% phosphoric acid, which makes oyster shell flour a source of both lime (calcium) and phosphorus. Oyster shell will also slightly raise your soils PH over time. **** From Straw: The horse stable nearby me uses oyster shell lime to deodorize their horse manure. I tested the horse manure pH, and it's over 8. When I applied to my roses, alkaline horse manure (high in calcium & magnesium & potassium & phosphorus) REVERSED blackspots on roses by pumping out new & clean leaves and neutralize the acidity of rain water. Shell lime is best for alkaline clay which needs more phosphorus, plus it raises the pH slowly. Agricultural lime is best to sprinkle on leaves of roses, it's calcium carbonate which is a fungicide, it kills fungus by raising the pH. Dolomitic lime is best for acidic sandy / loamy soil. It will raise the pH, plus supply calcium and magnesium. Magnesium is the "glue" that holds soil together, and is less available in sandy soil. Gypsum also release calcium fast, but doesn't result in pale roses due to 17% sulfur in gypsum. My preference for my alkaline clay: I use shell lime (in horse manure) for heavy-bloomers BEFORE RAIN, and gypsum for wimpy own-roots BEFORE RAIN. Below site sells organic stuff cheap with 5,000 items to choose: 50 lb. of alfalfa pellets for $25, alfalfa seeds, clover seeds (for nitrogen), $9 for 50 lb. of gypsum, $10 for 50lb. of oyster shell lime, $9 for 50 lb. of dolomite lime (best for sandy or loamy soil, since magnesium is the "glue" that retains nutrients). http://www.groworganic.com/search#q=alfalfa hay&p=1 If someone has sandy or loamy soil, the acidic rain will beat up on roots, cause leaching of calcium & magnesium & potassium ... thus leaves become thinner and break out in fungal diseases. I successfully reversed blackspots & mildew on roses just by topping with ALKALINE & HIGH MINERALS & SLOW-RELEASED mulch, such as alfalfa hay (less acidic than alfalfa meal), my dolomitic clay, or horse manure (with oyster shell for calcium & phosphorus for my alkaline clay). Below are some pics. of own-root Golden Celebration. The first one was 2012 pic. in the front of my house, late August 2012: Second pic. below is the base of Golden Celebration, which is 100% clean with horse manure, pic. taken late October 2012 after the 1st frost: Third pic. below is Golden Celebration bloom with horse manure. Golden Cel. got too big for my front walk-way .. when I moved it, there's at least 1 foot of fluffy horse manure, and the root was huge: