When discussing what the best fertilizers are to use on certain crops and how much to use on plants there are so many variables that can play into this decision. Depending on what type of soils you have in your own garden can help indicate what type of fertilizer is the best for you to use on vegetable plants. For example, if you have sandy type soil and somebody else has clay-like soils the recommend fertilization program is gonna change drastically because of the different nutrient requirements in those different soil types.
Best Fertilizers to Use on Certain Crops
The first type of fertilizer that they discuss is the organic fertilizers that you can put down at pre-plant in the garden. The first one is our Complete Orangic Fertilizer which is pelleted hen manure that can be added at pre-plant and then four weeks after in the garden area because it is more of a slower release process. The recommended rate on this is one and a half cup per square feet, for example, could be about five-row feet depending on what you have planted. The next fertilizer that is suggested is the Liqui-Fish which can be used to feed the soil by either soil drench or injecting it through a sprinkler system. However, this fertilizer works better in warm weather than it does it cool weather. The third fertilizer discussed is the 20-20-20 Garden Fertilizer which is used on almost everything grown in the vegetable garden. If you prefer to hand water you should put about one to two cups in a five-gallon bucket and then pour it alongside your plants. Travis has a 64-ounce mixing cup that is basically a half-gallon that he will fill up 3/4 of the way with the 20-20-20 and then take a cup or two of Micro Boost on top and that's what he puts in his injector every time he runs it. The 20-20-20 is ideal for spoon feeding which means just giving the plants a little bit at a time with the injector. Another great fertilizer is the Calcium Nitrate which works well on all your nightshades such as tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants. There two grades to this nitrate which are soluble and non-soluble which means it can either be water-soluble or not. The only one we carry is the water-soluble Calcium Nitrate which works great in the injector as well. The rate on this fertilizer is a pound per hundred-row feet or if you are injecting on a big plot put out five pounds per thousand square feet. When it comes to organic calcium like Gypsum Soil Conditioner it is great for helping in clay-like soils that need a quality soil conditioner in the area. Then, we have Chilean Nitrate which is a go-to fertilizer for corn that adds a natural source of nitrogen into the vegetable garden. The rate on the Chilean Nitrate for side dressing corn is a whole 10-pound bag per thousand square feet. Next, is our go-to Allium fertilizer known as Ammonium Sulfate which is used on plants like onions, garlic, leeks, or shallots. This fertilizer has a recommended rate when side-dressed of one cup per 20 feet row and when injecting it's one cup per 40 feet. Lastly, one of our most popular fertilizers is the Micro Boost which is a blend that is specifically designed to improve the yield in your vegetable garden.
Show and Tell Segment
On the show and tell segment, the guys compare their SunBurst Squash varieties to see just how well they grew in the vegetable garden. Travis mentions that we have several new colors of the patty-pan type squash such as MoonBeam, Total Eclipse, Partial Eclipse, and Bennings Green Tint. Greg shows off some purple asparagus that he harvested from the garden. Since a lot of customers have been wanting some half runner beans, we finally got some Mountaineer Half Runner Beans which is an old heirloom that is supposed to be the best variety out there. The guys also discuss the difference between crowder and pink-eyed pea types.
Viewer Questions Segment
On the question and answer segment this week, the guys answer questions about momentum beans, growing small onions, and days to maturity. Travis mentions that his momentum beans are doing just fine, they experienced a little windburn from last week's storm but have recovered nicely and has a little bit of a pest control program to keep them clear of any pest issues. Here in zone 8, Greg says we like to plant our onions around the 1st of November or around the time frame. A couple of important factors when it comes to planting onions is to keep in mind the row spacing and fertilize them well until the bulbing process starts happening. When it comes to days to maturity it can be a variable factor because weather conditions can affect the growth of certain crops.
