Susan,

Clipping off the vines and leaving the roots behind will put some nitrogen back into the soil but I have no idea how much or how little. Rototilling pea plants into soil in a common organic method of adding organic matter and nitrogen to poor soil. Nitrogen from the pea plants will be in a natural slow-release form and will not in any way give your plants a 'rush' of nitrogen like artifical fertilizer high in nitrogen would.

I am curious about your feeling that you need to keep adding fertilizer. Most people overfertilize and such overfertilization can lead to poor plant performance, which is not what your goal would be. An overabundance of any given nutrient can be very bad for plants because all the nutrients work together best when they are in balance.

I add organic matter to my soil and let my soil feed the plants. I seldom fertilize plants in the ground much if at all because the soil feeds them. Many soils are high in P and in K and don't need any added, especially in suburban areas where so many fertilizers are used all the time for years and years and years. In Texas, many areas have P and K at such high levels because of constant overfertilization that special all-N fertilizers have been developed for use in those areas and are being recommended more and more and more. I have noticed a lot of those N-only ferts this year although they've been around for about 10-years now under various local labels.

If you haven't had your soil tested recently, I suggest you get a soil test to see what your soil has in it and what it needs, if anything. Most people who add compost, manure, chopped/shredded leaves and grass clippings regularly to their garden beds have perfectly fertile soil and usually don't have to add anything in terms of fertilizer. Remember that if you are feeding your soil, your soil will feed the plants.

Plants in containers are different, though. Because they are watered so often, they have serious issues with the leaching of nutrients and they need a regular fertilization program.

As for cucumbers, it is a bit late to plant them now for the spring harvest and too early to plant for the fall harvest. If planting this late, you're taking a chance the heat will make them bitter. You can lessen that risk by keeping them evenly moist (moisture stress makes them bitter), by mulching them to reduce heat stress and by harvesting them at smaller sizes.

Dawn

I don't really mean "fertilizer" if you have interpreted that to mean chemical ferts, which I don't use. I have Espoma Flower Tone (3-4-5), and chicken manure (3-4-2), which are the only ferts I use - well, I have the acid fert for my acid-loving plants and of course, the infamous Tomato Tone. The only reason I use this is to build my soil and to add some micros to the mix that might have been depleted since last year.
I didn't add anything to the soil at the time I planted the peas, but then I did sprinkle a bit of the Espoma Bloom Tone around the soil close by, to give them a jump start, which was effective BTW.

So, the remainder of the bed (the Peas consumed only about 1/4 of the surface area) has not been amended with anything for a couple of years. I didn't add anything last year because I was just growing Zinnias, Datura, and Mexican Sunflowers in it, and they don't really need any kind of soil enrichment at all.

Anyway, for that reason, I wanted to add some chicken manure into the soil to continue building the soil there. I rarely use very much of it. As I said, I tend to be on the side of underfertilizing as opposed to over.

So, I concur with you because I want to "build" the soil and not depend on chemical fertilizers to do a temperary fix for me. I haven't added or bought a chemical in many years. So I don't know where you are getting that I add anything other than organic soil building material. I also mix in brown matter such as composted leaves, and of course, my little bit of cat frass, LOL!

Are you considering the Espomas as chemical fert? I know that the Nitrogen in it is really NOT organic at all. But, I had thought to use the Flower Tone, as I mentioned, for primarily the micros it adds.

This was a new bed I created about 3 years ago, had been (and still is to a lesser extent) just bermuda and crab grass, with a bit of Commelina thrown in, which is easy to pull up. It had sat, unused and unfertilized by me for approx 10 years. Consequently, it was pretty lean soil.

I know I need to have the soil tested, but for some reason I have a block against it - too much trouble. So, I mess around with it and if things grow well, they grow well and I've done something right. God knows I don't do everything right. But I am extremely conscientious about just building my soil.

I would appreciate your insight as to what I CAN grow this time of year in the form of an edible - maybe peppers? Not really fond of them, but might use a few for salsa. Beans? Any dwarf varieties? It's probably too late and too early to plant anything right now. If so, I can always put a few Salvia in there.

Susan

Susan,

Sorry. When most people say the word 'fertilizer' they mean chemical ones so that's what I always assume unless they specific they're referring to an organic fert, and I didn't want you dumping a lot of chemical ferts in a bed if you didn't know they were specifically needed. With chicken manure, I only add it in the fall and let it break down over winter, but if yours is purchased already composted and doesn't smell too hot, it likely wouldn't hurt to add it. Does that help?

Did you know that if you add leaf mold or chopped/shredded leaves to your beds on a regular basis, they have everything the soil needs in terms of nutrients and they have it in the proper proportions. I learned that from one of the Dirt Doctor's books. That's why I use leaves so much...it is hard to mess up with them so I cannot make my beds have too much of anything.

I do consider all of Espoma's fertilizers organic, even if their nitrogen source is sometimes suspect.

You can plant okra, black-eyed peas or any other southern pea, winter squash or mini-pumpkins (I grow them climbing on a tomato cage but they are more decorative than edible), summer squash (crookneck, straightneck, round 8-Ball type, patty pan, zukes, etc.). It probably is not too late for bush beans. I succession sow all summer long and only have reduced yields when it gets really hot in July. I've just started picking beans from the first planting, will have beans from the 2nd planting in about two weeks, and hope to get the 3rd succession planting of bush beans into the ground this week. Just about any bush-type bean available at the store will produce well and taste pretty good. If you can find one of the purple-podded types, they are highly ornamental. I think the one I have is Royalty Purple Pod. Roma type beans (the broad-podded Italian types) produce great for me in the heat. You could plant any pole bean now and be harvesting in late summer or early fall, but I think you're only looking for shorter plants?

You also could sow almost any herb now if you like growing herbs.

If you have space and enough sunlight, it is a great time to plant melons...or sweet potatoes.

Dawn

I grow a few herbs, but not a lot. I currently have Basil, Fennel of course, Garlic Chives, but I would like to grow some Thyme and some Greek Oregano, so those are definite possibilities. But I like the idea of the bush beans, too. I can buy starts? They're not the kind you hull are they?

Would love, love, love to grow Okra, but I would probably need a lot, to get much harvest. We've grown Okra over the years but only in much more space than I have.

So, I'll pick from these choices and I really appreciate the input, Dawn! Thanks.

Susan