I've never used fertilizer. Lots of compost and other organic matter do the trick for me.

Well, it's worked perfectly for me for forty years.

No, what you mean is that you have't needed fertilizer for forty years. That might be the case. Of course "perfectly" is a relative term, and what you didn't need may be a result of what you didn't know you could have.

No one has bothered to address the OP's question :-)

Once your plants have gone beyond the seedling stage (at least second set of true leaves) you could side dress with any all-purpose fertilizer (all 3 numbers the same). I wouldn't worry about a different fert for different plants - that is seldom a concern :-) And you can get similar results with using some sort of water soluble or liquid solution, like Miracle Gro, but would need to apply more frequently, like weekly.

No, what I mean is that it's worked perfectly for me for forty years. The OP should experiment and see what works best for him/her.

If you prefer organic, and you've planted everything already, you can still add an organic fertilizer around where you've planted. Organic fertilizer isn't quick release though. I'm sure your soil has enough nutrients for now, especially since you added compost, to get the seeds past the seedling stage. Once the plants have established a couple sets of true leaves, you can temporarily use diluted fish emulsion to help get the plants going, until the organic fertilizer breaks down.

Where are you located? I noticed that you said you are direct-sowing tomato seeds. You may want to consider buying tomato seedlings, unless you are in a warm climate.

The OP referred to mixing compost into the original bed in the context of fertilization. So it's important to remind people that compost is not a replacement for real fertilizer when it comes to plant nutrition. With compost, everything will grow, but yes, you could have done better. Long ago, I used to use compost only, and things seemed to grow perfectly. Then i started using fertilizer, and the definition of the word "perfectly" changed. Things were vastly more productive.

For a late start, yes, Miracle Gro liquid is a good option.

I'd suggest that you start with lots of compost and see if you get the results that you want. If not, add some fertilizer. I've never needed any except for plants in pots.

Good luck!

I'm in Georgia. I purchased some azomite when I was on amazon snooping around for fertilizer. I thought that I'd start with that and then try some Dr. Earths. Next year, I'm going to be better and start earlier. Something is eating everything now even though I had it covered in tulle. :(

With regard to mineral nutrients, just get a soil test. You might be surprised what you don't need. But Azomite is really all about trace elements. It has almost zero NPK.

The takeaway ought to be that plants in the wild don't get a lot of nutrients.

And yet they grow so beautifully. Hmmm.

I havn't seen a lot of wild tomatoes bearing loads of fruit.

I'm with Daninthedirt on this one. The plants we grow in our gardens are like pets -- they were bred to satisfy our needs but they also rely on us to thrive, not just survive.

I have rich clay soil, so for the first few years I relied on compost and some fish emulsion early in the season. I thought I was doing great until I started fertilizing on a regular basis. First organics only, then some synthetic fert as well on occasion to boost the number of blooms. The difference in productivity, quality, and general health of the plants is remarkable.

Yes it is remarkable and even certified organic gardeners use fertilizers in addition to compost. Few, if any of us, would claim that compost alone is sufficient.

But there is an element of "depends on what you are growing" involved. For example if callirhoe123 is growing only herbs then supplemental fertilizers may not be needed. Not to say they wouldn't improve with some but generally herbs are quite tolerant of low nutrient soils.

Dave

Hopping on board with a novice question...

About how often during the season should I be fertilizing a vegetable garden (tomatoes, zucchini, eggplant, peppers, spinach, herbs), or at what significant points in the plants' growth? I fertilized (Dr. Earth fruit & veggie dry fertilizer) immediately before planting my seedlings about six weeks ago, and my zucchini and tomatoes are flowering and starting to set fruit. I've been tempted to feed them to help them along, but I know too much can be as bad as too little, so I've held back so far.

@daninthedirt,

I haven't either, not in person, but I'm told wild tomatoes are extremely prolific in both their growth and number of fruit, in their native habitat.

If you stick with the Dr. Earth, follow the label directions, which I believe states to side dress every two months. Or if you want something a little more direct and fast acting, a fully water soluble like Miracle Gro can be applied at half strength on a weekly basis.

In general, herbs thrive on pretty lean soil and need very little, if any, fertilization.

6 weeks is a long time to go without feeding for most vegetables. And like gardengal said - you follow the label directions of the product you are using.

"but I know too much can be as bad as too little,"

Not generally true. Needs a qualifier and herbs are an exception. Excessive amounts can damage vegetable plants, true although they can usually adjust, adapt, and recover. But too little guarantees failure.

When in doubt you can always dilute the recommended dosage and then note the effects and repeat the diluted dose as needed. But withholding all or most out of fear of going overboard serves no purpose.

Dave

Boris,

from what I remember the ancestral tomato (Solanum pimpinellifolium) still grows wild in Central America. It's about 4 ft. tall and the fruit is the size of a pea. It would take a lot of these to make some marinara!

When the Aztec people domesticated that wild tomato, it improved in size and flavor thanks to exactly the same techniques we use today, including providing extra nutrients. It wouldn't have done it on it's own, in the wild. When Cortez arrived at Tenochtitlan (Mexico City today), he admired enormous floating islands the Aztecs used to grow tomatoes, maize, beans, peppers, and lots and lots of flowers. They used "human manure" to fertilize them.

Sorry if it's too much info but I love history, especially when there's gardening involved...

Amanda - I do granular organic ferts before planting and then organic liquid ferts every 10-14 days from flowering stage until maybe late August-early September? Depends on the type of veggies. I prefer not to over-fertilize because I don't want the excess nutrients leaching to who knows where. I lean towards the minimalist side when I can. May not get monster veggies, but it's a more environmentally friendly approach.

Boris - I have let volunteer tomatoes mature in the corner of my compost pile. They don't do much. Just another indication that compost is a pretty poor nutrient.

@Festiva Maxima

My response was to a comment that wild tomatoes are not bearing "loads of fruit", not about the fruit size.

It's tough - but not impossible - to over-fertilize with organics :-) For the most part. they are a slow acting and very low dose nutrient source. And unless applied with a hugely heavy hand, dry organics do not leach.

Yes - that is one thing I am mindful of. Organic or not, nutrients can still leach, especially nitrogen. Like you said they are low dose. There are no 10-10-10 or 20-20-20 options out there for organic growers.

Liquid organic ferts are already digested and the quickest way to get plants nutrients, if you want to stay organic, but again not highly concentrated.

Thanks all for the informative responses! This is the first season I've tried to do my own veggie garden, so it's been a fun crash-course for me. :)

One more question: any recs on a good organic liquid fertilizer? Chris, I'm looking at you in particular, since you mentioned them a couple of times.

Amanda there are literally 50-100 different good organic liquids available and likely almost as many discussions here about them - all of us have our personal favorites for one reason or another. But they are all good as long as you pick one of the well-balanced ones that is a mix of ingredients. Fish emulsion with kelp is popular, so are Earth Juice products and Fox Farm products to name just a few.

Dave

https://www.gardenweb.com/discussions/query/best-liquid-organic-fertilizer

So sorry, Amanda, I did not see your post until now. I'm sure Dave's link helped you find some good organic liquid ferts. I personally use Neptune's Harvest products. Mostly the Fish and Seaweed blend, but they now have 2 new liquid products I am giving a try. Tomato & Veg and another called Rose & Flowering. These 2 are a little richer in phosphorus and potassium.

Good luck with your vegetable garden!

NP Chris, and thanks all! I ended up with Neptune's Harvest. We'll see how it goes. Keep your fingers crossed for healthy plants and a bumper crop. :)

I often think that the reputation of heirlooms for poor production is down to 1) poor choice of variety for a given growing areas but ALSO 2) people attracted to heirloom varieties are also attracted to folksy myths about compost being enough, "fertilizing" with organic additives and kitchen scraps that aren't actually fertilizer, etc. After I started fertilizing more generously, I was shocked at how much more productive my fruiting edibles became.

"Liquid organic ferts are already digested and the quickest way to get plants nutrients, if you want to stay organic, but again not highly concentrated."

Actually, that is not precisely correct :-) Hard to get all those digestive juices gathered up from soil organisms!! Fish fertilizer is an emulsion of partially decomposed fish parts that are a by-product of the fishing industry. Other liquid organic ferts are typically plant extracts - seaweed, oilseeds, molasses or fermented sugar beets are most common. Others are more in the line of manure teas. Not digested at all but at least partially water soluble.

Can someone direct me to a controlled study that shows increased yields from fertilizer vs using “just” high quality compost on in-ground plants? Thanks in advance.