Top Five Vegetable Garden Fertilizers

While planning your vegetable garden, your thoughts will eventually lead to fertilizers, while you dream of your prize winning crop. While there are many brands and combinations of fertilizers out there, choosing the right one for your garden can be a daunting task. Here are my top five picks.

1. Choose Organic! Better yet, why spend the money when you already have everything to make your garden grow naturally? The best way to make your own fertilizer is a compost pile or container. A good compost pile should be composed of things like livestock manure, coffee grounds, eggshells, cardboard, sawdust from untreated wood, leaves, and yard trimmings. Throw in some earthworms, and before you know it, 100 % organic compost! Make sure you leave out pet waste, dairy products, meat, insect ridden plants, and yard trimmings that have been treated with chemicals. By adding organic compost to your vegetable garden, you improve the ability of the soil to retain water and nutrients, as well as improve the overall condition of the soil, all without polluting the environment. The best part is, it does not cost a thing.

2. If you don't have the time, space, or inclination required for a compost pile, opt for Organic Choice Garden Soil by Miracle-Gro. This choice is 100% organic and includes sphagnum peat moss, (which, my husband tells me, is used on golf courses ), manure, and organic compost. For best results, mix 50/50 with your garden soil to evenly distribute the product before planting.

3. The best way to assure that you have a strong, vibrant vegetable crop is to start your seedlings out right. Burpee Seedstarting and Burpee Tomato Formula's are soil-less mixtures of nutrients to ensure strong, healthy plants. Both of these formula's can be purchased at www.burpee.com for $8.50 each.

4. As far as specialized selection goes, www.johnandbobs.com carries kits for every possible soil condition. These organic products are specifically designed to maximize the potential growth in any type of soil, from sand to clay. The Biosol Mix Fertilizer is concentrated, so you only need six pounds per 1,000 square feet, and is composed of beneficial bacteria. The Biosol Mix Fertilizer costs about $20.00 per six pounds and is available at www.johnandbobs.com .

5. Park Seed Company, (www.parkseed.com) offers Red Dynamite Premium Fertilizer for $10.95. While not a completely organic product, Red Dynamite has won an Environmental Protection Agency Award. Park Seed Red Dynamite Premium Fertilizer works for up to 9 months to nourish your vegetable garden. It promotes heavy fruiting and strong roots. Park Seed Company recommends the use of Sea Magic in conjunction with Red Dynamite for vegetable gardens. Sea Magic is also available at www.parkseed.com for $5.95 and is totally organic.

Whatever fertilizer you choose, try to be environmentally conscious. Fertilizers and insecticides do eventually end up in the water. After all, why use chemicals on your vegetable garden when you can get all of that at the grocery store?