How To Naturally Enrich Your Soil By Using Organic Garden Fertilizer Articles | Garden Information Center

Every organic gardener knows that it is vital to use good quality soil in you want successful produce. The start and end of each growing season are the times which the organic gardener is going to work with the soil to ascertain it is capable of producing good quality organic vegetables or flowers. At least twice a year, organic garden fertilizers need to be added to the soil to enrich it and replace nutrients which have been used by the plants. Organic garden fertilizers are made from live materials rather than being chemically manufactured. An organic gardener might also mix various additives into the soil, organic or non-organic, to add micronutrients or to control the pH. Common organic soil additives include potash and Epsom salts.

Soil additives are an optional extra for the soil. They help to improve the soil consistency or give micronutrients. Organic garden fertilizer improves the soil's overall substance.

Nearly all animal-based organic garden fertilizers can be called manure. You can get other types of animal-based fertilizers, such as fish emulsion, but manure is by far the most common. Manure can come from bats, cows, chickens, horses, rabbits and other animals. Human manure is used in some places. Manure cannot be used from cats or other predators because they have pathogenic bacteria in their digestive systems, which can get into the food grown. Manure needs to be composted or aged before being used as an organic garden fertilizer to remove such dangerous pathogens as E. coli. You can add composted manure to the soil in liquid or solid form and you should mix it into the soil well. It is best to add the manure at least a few weeks before planting, so it can mix well and age. Also, it will be more pleasant to plant when the manure is mixed in and aged a bit rather than fresh and ripe-smelling!

Another option is plant-based organic garden fertilizer, such as worm castings, compost, seaweed and 'green manure'. Kelp and seaweed are usually dried and processed before being sold.

Compost creation is an ongoing process which can be learn from community workshops or other experts. It is a great way to recycle peelings and left over vegetable matter. Worm composting (also called worm castings) can be made or bought. They contain a lot of nutrients. To make them yourself, you will need to get the right sort of worms from any organic gardening source. You also require some sort of covered tub and some damp vegetable matter such as old newspapers. Then you just leave the worms to it and you will get great organic fertilizer from them.

'Green manure' is normally planted after harvest in the fall and is a cover crop. It is usual to plant a nitrogen-fixing crop like soybeans or something similar. In the springtime, when the cover crop emerges, you just dig it into the ground where it enriches the soil and decomposes.

Organic garden fertilizer can be bought or created and is very worthwhile because you can add living matter to the soil and fertilize in the most natural way possible with no need for potentially dangerous chemicals.