First, the DIY test kits are a waste of time and money. They are notorious for being inaccurate and mis-leading. So either get a pro test done from your local county AG office or don't do anything to your garden based on the DIY kit. Second, most all garden soils will test normal to high in P as most all soils have plenty of it naturally - one reason why most new fertilizers are being sold P-free. Third, most compost can't be your only source of nutrients, especially N, unless your soil also has a very active soil-food web, a good working micro-herd of bacteria to convert the compost to nutrients for the plants. How much N your compost may have in it all depends on what the rabbits are fed and how long it is composted. N leaches and evaporates out of compost and soil very quickly - which is why it always tests low - so it may require regular additions of other N sources or at least of more quality compost several times during the season. Too many who grow exclusively with compost make the mistake of assuming a 1x a year addition is sufficient for N. Unfortunately, given the fragile nature of N, it isn't. But the place to start is with a REAL soil test. Dave

You can use fertilizer at any step, but whether the plat and/or soil needs it before you leech it away with following waterings that matter. I'm in the camp that uses a little fertilizer to sprout seedlings in the soil mix, but I rarely use any more fertilizer more than once in my plantings before moving them outside, and never just before going outside. Everyone does it differently it seems. Long story short, chances are you wont kill your plants and the worst that should happen is you'll waste fertilizer or send your seedlings into abnormally fast growth rates under your lights. The seedlings, themselves, are quite capable of "feeding themselves" for a little while off their first set "food leaves" provided by the seedling and you want a lot of your initial growth to happen below the surface not stalking up toward your grow/sprouting lights weeks before they should.

you want very soft water. because soft water will dissolve chemicals better. rain water is what i use. You want the water at warm temp. say 85 is good. not too hot but not real cold either. warmer water dissolves chemicals better. now run as much water as you can down through the soil and throw away the water that comes out. you can throw it on the lawn or use it diluted for the garden. it will be diluted but not back onto the same plants as they are in shock and the roots need to heal. the sooner you do this the better. the longer the more the roots are damaged. the drier the soil the higher the chemicals are concentrated in the less water. Try to use at least 4 times the volume of soil. so if you have a 1 gallon pot, run a good 4 to 5 gallons through the pot. I also like to run it and then leave the soil to dissolve more and run it a 2nd time after a rest. chemical ferts are salts. you need to dissolve the salts and wash them out. actually as the plant uses up some chemicals as fertilizer they leave salts behind that build up and cause problems. growing in pots some people recommend that you water with a little extra water so some runs out the bottom. this is to run some salts out. good luck. O Nut

"Take several samples of your soil and have them tested. Then if it needs amending, do it. Otherwise you are probably over loving your garden to death." This reminds me of one of my favorite gardening sayings "More plants have been loved to death than ever died of neglect." Over-watering, over-fertilizing, over-[fill in the blank] are some of the most common reasons you will see for plant failures on this forum. Yes, please get the soil test, bets nailed it right on the head. Go to your local extension office and get a real soil test kit, don't do the "do-it-yourself" tests as they are woefully unreliable. I don't even know if I would, trust the garden center soil test, to be honest. County extension is the best route, in my opinion. Sadly, it's a very common misconception that native soils are deficient and need constant amending. Clay soils, for example, are usually in a good Ph range (somewhere around neutral) and have calcium, phosphorous and potassium in more than sufficient levels. So all the calcium, P, and K amendments do nothing at best and can actually hurt at worst. When I got my soil test, it was very similar to the example I listed above. The PH, Calcium, Magnesium, Phosphorous and Potassium all were listed in the "Optimal" to "Exceeds Crop Needs" range (Penn State soil test), per their recommendation the only thing that should ever be added is nitrogen in sufficient amounts throughout the season... And this was without so much as adding one bag of amendments. If you do have a reliable soil test and need help reading it (from people who are not trying to sell you things) then please post information here; I'm sure many are willing to help.