If you found this video helpful, please "Like" it and share it to help increase its reach! Thanks for watching 😊TIMESTAMPS for convenience: 0:00 The Best Garden Fertilizer For Vegetables 1:09 Fertilizer Rank #1 4:52 Fertilizer Rank #2 8:52 Fertilizer Rank #3 12:31 Fertilizer Rank #4 16:30 Fertilizer Rank #5 19:41 Fertilizer Rank #6 23:15 Adventures With Dale
@@TheMillennialGardener I moved out of monkey junction area of Wilmington to my 13 acres in Pender county 3 years ago. And we didn't have an hoa there either.
I agree totally and you kept it simple enough beginning gardeners can understand and grow their own food. I've been doing this a long time now and I don't know everything and with age you tend to forget some of the things you knew lol
Ive been learning to grow things for the past 2 years and I swear, every time I have a question about things, you magically come out with a video about the question I had. You gotta be reading my mind or something
I honestly try to make my videos as seasonally relevant as possible. 4 out of 5 videos, I try to make them about what's growing on exactly right now. I mostly just film what I'm doing at the moment.
My papa had AMAZING gardens. Plants fourishing. Always. He used to say this to me when I asked him how he keeps the plants beautiful? He said “I feed and build the soil, not the plants”.🤙🏼👍🏼🙏🏼❤️
I'm sure, but the days of acreage and farm animal ownership are, unfortunately, fading away quickly. Chickens, for example, are the first things banned in all our neighborhood covenants, and *all* the neighborhoods where we live have covenants unless you're very well-off and/or own old land from generational holdings, so it's a no-go for the overwhelming majority. Land ownership is fading away quickly, so we have to make use with the small plots we have, and that will require understanding how to use these products efficiently.
@@TheMillennialGardener most people choose where they live. Many of us have sold our postage sized subdivision, living with an HOA to move to the country where we can have animals and a garden and be much more self-sufficient. I moved from a3 of an acre in a subdivision to only 2 acres 15 minutes away, but my lifestyle completely changed. Most people aren’t willing to give up the modern luxuries of living two minutes from a grocery store in five minutes from a Walmart in exchange for self sufficiency.
I grew a nice garden last year and all I used was chicken coop waste. This year I didn’t use anything from the coop . I went and bought bone meal, blood meal, fish fertilizer and some all purpose fertilizers and my garden Sucked this year!!! I have never been so disappointed with myself. All the hard work and time and money was a complete waste. I have never had all of these bugs and pest come into my garden like they did this year. I’m not blaming the fertilizers in the soil amendments. I’m just saying I did not use any of that stuff last year and we had a very nice harvest and this year we added all these things and we didn’t get hardly anything.
I’m new to gardening the things I have (kale, collards, salad greens, onions) and I swear I learned so much in this 1 video. I went right to the store once I watched and then re watched again and again. I wish I knew this guy 😂😂😂 he’s amazing and broke it down to “ the very last compound “ for me anyway… IM HOLLERING THANK YOU ALL THE WAY FROM ZONE 8b ( VIRGINIA BEACH)
I make a ton of compost every year. I push up the manure and hay from the animals every year and let it age. Also have a couple compost bins right next to my garden for grass clippings, hay,coffee grounds and things from the house. My raised beds are filled with it. At planting I add a blood meal bone meal mix. Works for me.
Just a reminder to everyone: Fall will soon be here and Walmart will be significantly slashing prices on bags of all-purpose fertilizer in order to dump them before winter. Seems to me that last Fall I picked up $13 bags for $8 so keep your eyes open.
My favorite part of this video- “because I like in an HOA””and than the 👀 ..so clear to understand where you stand on the darn HOA demands 😂 As always I appreciate your work!
@@1OKToni wow. I just happened to go into my Walmart for some more planting trays when I saw their sale. I was able to buy bags of worm castings and other products for less than a third of the price. Some were $2:50, $3.00 and $4.50 a bag.
Thank you! I finally understand the differences and why my container gardens ALL failed last year and nothing (even weeds) would grow in them this year. We had record amounts of rain every single week for the entire summer. Now I realize that all the nutrients were washed out.
Container gardens typically require the most fertilizing. I fertilize my containers much more than my in-ground garden due to the containers washing out in rain storms. Container gardening has many upsides, but they're definitely more maintenance and require more care.
@@louiel8711I’m all container gardening too. So much rain here in Michigan. I did pretty good with my garden this year. But now I know to add more fertilizer in my containers.
@@louiel8711that sounds really expensive. You should switch to masterblend combined with calcium nitrate and magnesium sulfate. Superior results for a fraction of the cost.
I love how you welcome all different POV’s and inputs. I know I can always come to the comment section and get a bit more knowledge. You’re so great and keep doing what you’re doing because I’m learning so much from your videos!!
Good list of fertilizers there. I'd also like to add that I'm "nerdy" enough to actually the read the labels. I'm a big fan of the Jobe's Fruit and Nut organic granulated fertilizer. I use it on my apple trees, roses, and tomatoes. Because its higher on the P and K than the N, it's great for getting plants to flower...It extends my roses blooming season...and produce fruit and (certainly important with tomatoes and Apples.) The high calcium content helps make for disease free plants and crunchier apples...AND it's frequently on sale on Amazon being as low as about $7 a bag for a 4lb back...typically 4lb bags sell for $11 to $14 so an organic fertilizer selling for $7 is about 40% less than the typical price. Another cool fertilizer "hack" so you don't end up paying more than you should...READ the labels...All the Jobe's Organic granulated fertilizers (that aren't single ingredient like bone meal) uses the SAME proprietary mix of beneficial fungi and bacteria. Espoma is the same way...they have their own proprietary mix of fungi and bacteria that the use the EXACT same concentration of in their granulated fertilizers...They do differ in macro nutrient and micro nutrients (that AREN'T the beneficial fungi and bacteria) such as the level NPK and calcium, magnesium, iron, etc... Why is this important? Because the Jobe's Fruit and Nut fertilizer is the EXACT same thing as their Fruit and Citrus fertilizer...the only difference? THE PACKAGING! Go ahead read the labels for both...you'll see that I'm right! So just buy whichever is on sale or in stock! Espoma does the SAME thing. Compare the ingredients on these 3 fertilizers: Holly-tone, Azalea-tone, and Berry-tone. You'll find they are the EXACT SAME! So which one should you buy for your blueberries or rhododendron or whatever acid loving plant you want to feed? Whichever's on sale...Use the Berry-Tone on your azaleas and maples if you like...or the Azalea-tone on your blue berries and raspberries...with those 3 particular fertilizers they're the same thing, just like Jobe's Fruit and Nut and Jobe's Fruit and Citrus are the same...
I've watched many videos on gardening and especially tomatoes. I learned more today from watching two of your videos than I had from most the other ones I have seen. Subscribed to yours today . Thank you !!!!
Dude! That was a great breakdown! I wish I could send u a pic of my corn! You advised me to give weekly fertilizer to my corn a couple months ago! The corn came out GREAT! Thank you again from CT! 🌽 🌽
Awesome! I'm glad to hear it! I skipped summer corn this year, because it's so hot here, but I planted fall corn and I'll be looking forward to an October harvest!
I have been gardening for the better part of 50 years now, and I can say without hesitation that the Espoma line is by far my favorite and PlantTone is indispensable. I put it in all my container mix, all my planting holes, and use it to top dress all plants in the ground. I usually go through about 250lbs every year, and have done so since I can remember. I do use my compost in addition in each of those applications. I even like the smell of it, although most folks don’t. The only thing I don’t use PlantTone for (usually) is my indoor plants because I have hundreds of them and the odor would be somewhat overwhelming indoors - for indoor plants I use the MG organic line.
I have had great success using Alaska Fish Fertilizer and Viagoro Organic Fertilizer on my container garden. The Viagoro contains both blood and bone meal as well as feather meal, chicken dung and potash.
I’ve had raised beds for a few years. It’s so hot and dry where I live, I’ve had to use drip irrigation and shade cloth. Compost fills most of the garden beds but I’ve had good luck using Bone Meal, Blood Meal, some granular fertilizer and water soluble fertilizer. I’m still working on the needs of each plant type and enjoying the small harvest of fresh vegetables!!😄 Thank You for sharing your advice and knowledge!! It certainly helps!!
I've been watching your videos since roughly late last year before the growing season. Your advice really helps out for general information that I need. This was the cherry on top that I needed!
Thanks for your valuable advice. My garden didn't do as well as I would have liked and I'm pretty sure it's the fertilizing that I failed on. Started with a good compost mix but I didn't fertilize properly and didn't take into consideration that rains would wash away nutrients. Live and learn. My first year with raised gardens and I'll still count that as progress but I focused too much on set up and planting and not enough on maintenance.
I’ve been a longtime user of compost/manure and the Espoma line, but you sold me last year on the Alaska fish emulsion. Smells like hell, works like a dream. I’m about to order my next jug. I’m with you on the front lawn thing. I don’t have an HOA (curb appeal in my neighborhood is… spicy), so at some point I’m replacing my lawn with pollinator plants and native fruit trees.
I use Trifecta Plus from MI Gardener. It is both a slow release, and extended release. I've found it to be really complete. I do also use blood and bone meal, and have occasionally used Azomite.
Wow what great info you gave us! I understand what all those different products are used for now! I have most of them laying around and never know which one to use. So a BIG THANK YOU! VERY INFORMATIVE AND EASY TO UNDERSTAND!!!
Excellent video! I have used just about all the fertilizers you presented. I have found that the Miracle grow products( cheap, inorganic) are fantastic for my hanging baskets of flowers. Use miracle grow in the garden on the grow bags like as you said they are constantly getting washed out. Early spring before I plant i like using a compost, and something like Espoma PlantTone , bone meal or blood meal, or All Purpose Fertilizer or Dr. Earth before planting. I plant probably over plant in my raised beds, and will fertilize with a water mixed one Fish emulsion in mid season on my heavy feeders. So in any given growing seasons I usually have several types of fertilizers to select from. Really enjoyed the video, but really there is a use for just about all of the above.
I've been gardening only a few years, but I'm an engineer/scientist by trade so I've spent countless hours learning the science behind soil, composting, gardening, etc. I think this video is hands down the most concise, correct, complete summary of fertilizers for a home garden.
This year, I have new planters for tomatoes and I started with FoxFarm Potting Mix and then have been adding pureed bananas and eggshells every couple of weeks and bone meal. Lately, it's been that plus Jack's Tomato Feed liquid with some of Jack's 20-20-20 when it rains hard. I have used BT and soap water spray for pest pressure. A good 3" layer of shredded pine bark for top mulch. When I pull these plants, I've used a 50% shade cloth for hot spells too. I found that a good prune of some leaves from the plant in early August boosted the plants to stop being lazy in the heat and pump up the fruit and ripen them. It worked. I will top dress with more FoxFarm Potting Mix, and probably add some Espoma Plant-tone and Azomite in too and cover for the winter to be ready for Spring. I'm in zone 6B Indiana.
Just FYI egg shells take about 2 years to break down into nutrients the plant can use. Your Jack's fertilizer is what's saving your plants and making them grow. Azomite also takes an extremely long time to become available.
My local Walmart had all their fertilizer on clearance. $5 for the same brand blood meal and bone meal along with all other fertilizer some $3. Purchased enough for next year.
Thankful for this video I’m not sure if my first comment was added I didn’t see it so I’m leaving the second comment. Thank you so much you broke this down to the very last compound. As soon as I watched this video, I went to the store and then I watched it over and over and took note. Amazing hollering THANK YOU all the way from zone 8b.
This was very helpful! With all of the different fertilizers on the market, it's not easy figuring out which is best for each situation! I will use this video as a referral tool before I go buy a fertilizer. Thank you!!
yes, and its that time of year to watch the garden center at Wally World to put garden stuff on clearance. I always snag clearance fertilizer. And also check HD weekly for fertilizer clearance, they were seriously clearing out blood meal at mine and of course I bought it all.
I followed your video about fish emulsion, it really worked and we have been enjoying the veggies in our garden. Also, my calamondin in a container grows more blooms.Thanks so much!
Thank you for explaining the different types of fertilizers and their most appropriate use. Fertilizers have gotten so expensive now that it helps to understand how to get the best use for your dollar.
The fertilizers have gotten more expensive, but the sales have also gotten better. I'm noticing higher MSRP's, but when they do go on sale, the discounts are deeper. I've been posting a lot of them lately if you follow my Community Posts. A lot of online sellers are clearing out their inventories leftover from the year, and when they go on sale, they've been pretty good.
Well, one size definitely does not fit all. It’s a challenge for most backyard gardeners that we don’t want a whole shed full of different fertilizers. You make great points and watching your videos is always a learning experience. Love the job at the HOA.
Love your videos,very informative..I follow you extensively for my fig trees…I experimented with my potted celest (at least I believe it is) I put a 12” x 3/4 pvc pipe into the soil ,about every 10 days when I fertilize I add some honey with a pint of warm water….just for the he’ll of it..thinking the sugars will be absorbed by the plant….when I picked the fruit it was amazing….the top of the fruit taste like a honeydew and the bottom taste sweet like honey….a nice golden color
Fantastic coverage of an intimidating subject! Some time in the future, could you maybe cover your fertilizing regimen for the different types of plants (nightshades, root veg., greens, etc.)? I know you include this info in each how-to, but it would be interesting to get a comprehensive view so that we could get a feel for how differently you treat each crop type. I imagine given the quantity and variety that you grow in your beautiful garden that you have a digital schedule. True?
Unfortunately, it seems planned neighborhoods, HOA's, townhomes and condos are the way of the future. The old way of single detached, private homes with big backyards are falling out of favor (or just becoming outrageously expensive). It's still possible to garden, but it often requires a little help from fertilizers to make the best of it.
Great explanation that came at the right time for me. Our garden has struggled and the level 2, 3, 4 seems to be where we need to focus. But I’m unsure when to apply. Do you have a video of a schedule of application. Maybe a baseline plan for fertilizer application and amounts. Our 10 years of experience needs a boost along the front range of Colorado. Thank so much.
i put all four of these in the hole of all my plants- bone meal, blood meal, crab and lobster meal and Azomite. It’s made a huge difference in my container garden.
The close up on the mention of HOA is hilarious. I guess the best use of the cheapest fertilizer will be for perennial ornamentals like grass, flowers, bushes, and non-fruit trees. One container bed has been stunting/killing whatever plant I placed in there and I'm deducing it to be nematodes (evidence of root knot on my root veggies). I finally got some fresh compost ready to go, so I'm hoping that mixing it in will change the ecosystem (since granular and liquid supplementation didn't prevent the withering/stunt/death of the plants). Man, I was hoping to get some nice watermelons, or go a second year of my overwintered bell pepper plant.
HOA's are a blessing and a curse. They can be pushy and annoying, but I also grew up on a dead end street where our neighbor had a bunch of old cars rotting in the front yard, so I don't miss that very much 😅 Building a perimeter fence "fixed" my HOA problems. Try adding a bag of the crab and lobster shell meal to the bed and mixing it throughout. You may also want to go a year without planting nightshades and cucurbits in it. Stick to lettuce, brassicas, carrots, peas, string beans, etc. I haven't had RKN's affect those crops. It's the tomatoes and peppers that get the root knots for me.
The comments about the pelletized lawn fertilizer were new info to me. I have used bone meal mostly for planting fall perennials, bulb, etc. I will probably use it in my vegetable garden next year as well as the usual manure/humus mix added in. The price of bone meal has really gone up since the last time I purchased it. Makes me want to make my own. Have you ever done that? If so, a video on that would be great, p.s. Dale is a really sweet, beautiful dog :)
I think between my experience this year, and research I have a plan for next year. This year has gone pretty well overall having 2 4x8 raised beds in a community garden. After I cleared out the weeds, and overwintered onions and carrots left by the last plot tenant, I put compost from the store and some Milorganite in the beds and used a claw to break up and soil a bit. When I planted, I added a tablespoon of Happy Frog Tomato and Vegetable organic fertilizer in each hole along with some worm castings. I then applied MiracleGro all purpose every other week after the first month since my mom had an extra bottle and gave it to me. Once I got flowers, I switched to the Fox Farm Tiger Bloom every other week. I’ve had a pretty productive harvest and there’s more to come. I had some issues with my San Marzano plant but I don’t think it’s just in the cards for this climate in SE Wisconsin and another tomato plant that got some blight (but I still got some fruits off of it). I had 2 pepper plants die that weren’t pest related and replaced those spots with other plants that have done very well. I think next year I’ll use an organic all purpose during the year and just scratch in after the initial planting. And maybe amend with some bone meal since I had some end rot on the San Marzanos and my Sugar Rush peppers. I did have success using the Happy Frog fertilizer at my mom’s house scratching it in during the season since I couldn’t make it over as much as I wanted to. Kept the plants looking pretty good overall.
Very informative when and how to use those various fertilizers. Very helpful. Since you have a bunch of fig trees, do you also dry your figs? Dale always gets fed really well. Thank you for sharing your video.
This year, I made a ton of fig jam. In previous years, I've dehydrated them. I have a video on that here: ua-cam.com/video/M_UBfb_eekI/v-deo.htmlsi=Am2rB9Q7KBhfBVDS
Hello & Thanks a bunch for this post. It came right on time for my question. I know have a complete understanding of compost. However l have left one 4x4 ft garden bed to lay bare all summer long, so it has just been baked by the sun. Can you please tell me how to bring that bed back to life🙏🏽
Another great video! Thanks for breaking it down for us. Question for you, I live in ontario Canada zone 6b, our winters get down to -20-25 degrees Celsius. When would be the best time to roto till the garden and mix in compost with manure and some fertilizer. I've heard fall and I've heard early spring. Thanks again! follows your videos this year and my garden has been 10x better than another years!
I did find it helpful. Your videos always help us. I have a question. Have you ever used REV plant fertilizer? I order it every spring to help reduce transplant shock. I just wondered what you thought about it if you’ve used it.
I agree with everything you brought. I do mostly bags and have to water every day. I wish i could set up drip but the dynamics don't work, I move stuff around all the time. I have started using Jack's 20-20-20 maybe twice a month as well as Agrothrive, both fruit and flower and all purpose every week. I have 6 month old peppers in 5 gallon bags chugging along still producing.
Generally agree with your priorities, but I think it’s difficult to rank when products are intended for different uses and applications. Compost is clearly gold medal! For me, homemade leaf mold is a must. Regarding lawn fertilizer, I do use 21-0-0 from Lowe’s for my onions and garlic. It’s very effective, cheap, and faster acting than most lawn fert. I believe it is mainly ammonium sulfate.
You're welcome! Mushroom compost is fine. I used to use it, but Lowe's raised the price $1/bag, so now I use the manure compost since it's significantly cheaper. I'd use whatever I could get for the best deal and is a quality product.
Great video. I have a cheap granulated 8-24-24. I grow tomato and peppers mostly in containers with coco coir. I just did this today. I put it in a blender and powdered everything with 15g premixed micronutrients per kg (1000g) of fertilizer. Does this sound like decent technique for a coco and container setup?
Agree. I use almost the exact same stuff. I did switch to agrothrive from the 5-1-1… It’s basically the same stuff plus micros the 5-1-1 is missing. Using HOSS seed micronutrient booster as well.
I am building a raised garden from scratch. I would like to put some type of top over it for shade and heavy rain protection. What would be your recommendation? Will shade cloth be ok or would it need to be something more solid? I live in southwest Missouri and keep in mind I’m 80+ years of age. Guess I’m a late bloomer 😊.
Recently I was watching an old video and you were asking about Dale and Thunder with anxiety I did leave a message if you haven’t done this yet they have thunder vest on Amazon❤ love your videos and Dale 😊
If you found this video helpful, please "Like" it and share it to help increase its reach! Thanks for watching 😊TIMESTAMPS for convenience:
0:00 The Best Garden Fertilizer For Vegetables
1:09 Fertilizer Rank #1
4:52 Fertilizer Rank #2
8:52 Fertilizer Rank #3
12:31 Fertilizer Rank #4
16:30 Fertilizer Rank #5
19:41 Fertilizer Rank #6
23:15 Adventures With Dale
The shade thrown at the HOA was hilarious. Thanks for compiling the data and sharing.
I also cracked up laughing at that as well
You're welcome!
I honestly don't know why people would live in an hoa
@@mikek4455 then you won't be able to live here, because every single neighborhood has an HOA. Sometimes, you don't have a choice.
@@TheMillennialGardener I moved out of monkey junction area of Wilmington to my 13 acres in Pender county 3 years ago. And we didn't have an hoa there either.
I’m a master gardener
This was the best fertilizer video for the average gardener to understand.
Good job
Thank you! I'm glad to hear it. I tried to keep it simple while being thorough.
I agree great job buddy
I agree totally and you kept it simple enough beginning gardeners can understand and grow their own food. I've been doing this a long time now and I don't know everything and with age you tend to forget some of the things you knew lol
@@Maria-ql3fc
Absolutely
I'm 74 and have been gardening all my life. This is one of the clearest explanations I've heard for using fertilizers. Well done.
Thank you! I'm glad it was helpful.
Ive been learning to grow things for the past 2 years and I swear, every time I have a question about things, you magically come out with a video about the question I had. You gotta be reading my mind or something
😂😂😂
I just started a small indoor herb garden and everytime I wonder about something here comes a video! He has to be a mind reader!!
I honestly try to make my videos as seasonally relevant as possible. 4 out of 5 videos, I try to make them about what's growing on exactly right now. I mostly just film what I'm doing at the moment.
This is the absolute truth
My papa had AMAZING gardens. Plants fourishing. Always. He used to say this to me when I asked him how he keeps the plants beautiful? He said “I feed and build the soil, not the plants”.🤙🏼👍🏼🙏🏼❤️
I grew up in the 50's. The only fertilizer my dad used in our garden was provided by our chickens. He always had a great garden. 😊
I'm sure, but the days of acreage and farm animal ownership are, unfortunately, fading away quickly. Chickens, for example, are the first things banned in all our neighborhood covenants, and *all* the neighborhoods where we live have covenants unless you're very well-off and/or own old land from generational holdings, so it's a no-go for the overwhelming majority. Land ownership is fading away quickly, so we have to make use with the small plots we have, and that will require understanding how to use these products efficiently.
@@TheMillennialGardener most people choose where they live. Many of us have sold our postage sized subdivision, living with an HOA to move to the country where we can have animals and a garden and be much more self-sufficient. I moved from a3 of an acre in a subdivision to only 2 acres 15 minutes away, but my lifestyle completely changed. Most people aren’t willing to give up the modern luxuries of living two minutes from a grocery store in five minutes from a Walmart in exchange for self sufficiency.
I couldnt imagine choosing the live somewhere where i couldnt have atleast chickens. Great video as usual. @TheMillennialGardener
I grew a nice garden last year and all I used was chicken coop waste.
This year I didn’t use anything from the coop . I went and bought bone meal, blood meal, fish fertilizer and some all purpose fertilizers and my garden Sucked this year!!! I have never been so disappointed with myself. All the hard work and time and money was a complete waste. I have never had all of these bugs and pest come into my garden like they did this year. I’m not blaming the fertilizers in the soil amendments. I’m just saying I did not use any of that stuff last year and we had a very nice harvest and this year we added all these things and we didn’t get hardly anything.
@jericox1813 I live in north Georgia, and no ones garden in my area did good this year. Rain for days and 90's for days.
I’m new to gardening the things I have (kale, collards, salad greens, onions) and I swear I learned so much in this 1 video. I went right to the store once I watched and then re watched again and again. I wish I knew this guy 😂😂😂 he’s amazing and broke it down to “ the very last compound “ for me anyway… IM HOLLERING THANK YOU ALL THE WAY FROM ZONE 8b ( VIRGINIA BEACH)
I make a ton of compost every year. I push up the manure and hay from the animals every year and let it age. Also have a couple compost bins right next to my garden for grass clippings, hay,coffee grounds and things from the house. My raised beds are filled with it. At planting I add a blood meal bone meal mix. Works for me.
Just a reminder to everyone: Fall will soon be here and Walmart will be significantly slashing prices on bags of all-purpose fertilizer in order to dump them before winter. Seems to me that last Fall I picked up $13 bags for $8 so keep your eyes open.
Walmart doesn't mark down significantly at my store. An item that is $9.97 they will mark down to $9.00.
@@1OKToniDamn the Walmart!!
My favorite part of this video- “because I like in an HOA””and than the 👀 ..so clear to understand where you stand on the darn HOA demands 😂
As always I appreciate your work!
Did that, saved so much money!
@@1OKToni wow. I just happened to go into my Walmart for some more planting trays when I saw their sale. I was able to buy bags of worm castings and other products for less than a third of the price. Some were $2:50, $3.00 and $4.50 a bag.
Thank you! I finally understand the differences and why my container gardens ALL failed last year and nothing (even weeds) would grow in them this year. We had record amounts of rain every single week for the entire summer. Now I realize that all the nutrients were washed out.
Container gardens typically require the most fertilizing. I fertilize my containers much more than my in-ground garden due to the containers washing out in rain storms. Container gardening has many upsides, but they're definitely more maintenance and require more care.
@@TheMillennialGardener I didn't know containers needed more fertilizer. Guess that's why mine did t do too well.
My whole garden is containers, the heavy rains had me top dressing with espoma garden tone about every 2 weeks or so 1.5 tbsp a gallon of soil.
@@louiel8711I’m all container gardening too. So much rain here in Michigan. I did pretty good with my garden this year. But now I know to add more fertilizer in my containers.
@@louiel8711that sounds really expensive. You should switch to masterblend combined with calcium nitrate and magnesium sulfate. Superior results for a fraction of the cost.
I love how you welcome all different POV’s and inputs. I know I can always come to the comment section and get a bit more knowledge. You’re so great and keep doing what you’re doing because I’m learning so much from your videos!!
Good list of fertilizers there. I'd also like to add that I'm "nerdy" enough to actually the read the labels. I'm a big fan of the Jobe's Fruit and Nut organic granulated fertilizer. I use it on my apple trees, roses, and tomatoes. Because its higher on the P and K than the N, it's great for getting plants to flower...It extends my roses blooming season...and produce fruit and (certainly important with tomatoes and Apples.) The high calcium content helps make for disease free plants and crunchier apples...AND it's frequently on sale on Amazon being as low as about $7 a bag for a 4lb back...typically 4lb bags sell for $11 to $14 so an organic fertilizer selling for $7 is about 40% less than the typical price.
Another cool fertilizer "hack" so you don't end up paying more than you should...READ the labels...All the Jobe's Organic granulated fertilizers (that aren't single ingredient like bone meal) uses the SAME proprietary mix of beneficial fungi and bacteria. Espoma is the same way...they have their own proprietary mix of fungi and bacteria that the use the EXACT same concentration of in their granulated fertilizers...They do differ in macro nutrient and micro nutrients (that AREN'T the beneficial fungi and bacteria) such as the level NPK and calcium, magnesium, iron, etc...
Why is this important? Because the Jobe's Fruit and Nut fertilizer is the EXACT same thing as their Fruit and Citrus fertilizer...the only difference? THE PACKAGING! Go ahead read the labels for both...you'll see that I'm right! So just buy whichever is on sale or in stock!
Espoma does the SAME thing. Compare the ingredients on these 3 fertilizers: Holly-tone, Azalea-tone, and Berry-tone. You'll find they are the EXACT SAME! So which one should you buy for your blueberries or rhododendron or whatever acid loving plant you want to feed? Whichever's on sale...Use the Berry-Tone on your azaleas and maples if you like...or the Azalea-tone on your blue berries and raspberries...with those 3 particular fertilizers they're the same thing, just like Jobe's Fruit and Nut and Jobe's Fruit and Citrus are the same...
About time for stores to start putting garden stuff on clearance
Honestly don’t know what I would do without your channel! Thank you for having videos for all my questions
I've watched many videos on gardening and especially tomatoes. I learned more today from watching two of your videos than I had from most the other ones I have seen.
Subscribed to yours today .
Thank you !!!!
I'm glad the video was helpful! Thanks for subscribing.
LOL I love the subtle cut when you mention your HOA.
The struggle is real.
Very best gardening video I've seen in 2 years! Thank you.
Thank you very much! Great job ranking the many different types of fertilizer! Signed : Was Confused..
Glad it was helpful!
Dude! That was a great breakdown! I wish I could send u a pic of my corn! You advised me to give weekly fertilizer to my corn a couple months ago! The corn came out GREAT! Thank you again from CT! 🌽 🌽
Awesome! I'm glad to hear it! I skipped summer corn this year, because it's so hot here, but I planted fall corn and I'll be looking forward to an October harvest!
@@TheMillennialGardener I planted corn for the fall as well. We ate some tonight. Didn’t even need butter or salt. Thank u again!
I think this has been the most informative video which will help me to improve my garden. Thank you so much.
You're very welcome!
I have been gardening for the better part of 50 years now, and I can say without hesitation that the Espoma line is by far my favorite and PlantTone is indispensable. I put it in all my container mix, all my planting holes, and use it to top dress all plants in the ground. I usually go through about 250lbs every year, and have done so since I can remember. I do use my compost in addition in each of those applications. I even like the smell of it, although most folks don’t.
The only thing I don’t use PlantTone for (usually) is my indoor plants because I have hundreds of them and the odor would be somewhat overwhelming indoors - for indoor plants I use the MG organic line.
We love Espoma products too. We get excellent results!
I have had great success using Alaska Fish Fertilizer and Viagoro Organic Fertilizer on my container garden. The Viagoro contains both blood and bone meal as well as feather meal, chicken dung and potash.
I know and have used most of these, but your videos always add precious nuggets of information and insight. Thanks!
That HOA zoom in was funny, tks for that one!
Good video Anthony with some good info on fertilizers. I'm stocked thanks to you and the Amazon sales. Thank you.
You're welcome!
Only been gardening 4 years but, this was helpful. Thanks.
You're welcome!
I’ve had raised beds for a few years. It’s so hot and dry where I live, I’ve had to use drip irrigation and shade cloth. Compost fills most of the garden beds but I’ve had good luck using Bone Meal, Blood Meal, some granular fertilizer and water soluble fertilizer. I’m still working on the needs of each plant type and enjoying the small harvest of fresh vegetables!!😄
Thank You for sharing your advice and knowledge!! It certainly helps!!
Great info & I love the time marks on the video! I use Jobes & Alaska already so I'm happy they made your list🌱
I've been watching your videos since roughly late last year before the growing season. Your advice really helps out for general information that I need. This was the cherry on top that I needed!
Great job! I am so proud of myself as many of these are the ones that I have been using.
Thanks for your valuable advice. My garden didn't do as well as I would have liked and I'm pretty sure it's the fertilizing that I failed on. Started with a good compost mix but I didn't fertilize properly and didn't take into consideration that rains would wash away nutrients. Live and learn. My first year with raised gardens and I'll still count that as progress but I focused too much on set up and planting and not enough on maintenance.
I’ve been a longtime user of compost/manure and the Espoma line, but you sold me last year on the Alaska fish emulsion. Smells like hell, works like a dream. I’m about to order my next jug.
I’m with you on the front lawn thing. I don’t have an HOA (curb appeal in my neighborhood is… spicy), so at some point I’m replacing my lawn with pollinator plants and native fruit trees.
Keep up the great videos my man!👍🏻
I use Trifecta Plus from MI Gardener. It is both a slow release, and extended release. I've found it to be really complete. I do also use blood and bone meal, and have occasionally used Azomite.
Wow what great info you gave us! I understand what all those different products are used for now! I have most of them laying around and never know which one to use. So a BIG THANK YOU! VERY INFORMATIVE AND EASY TO UNDERSTAND!!!
Always great content. Thank you for this helpful information and CLEAR EXPLANATIONS :)
Excellent video! I have used just about all the fertilizers you presented. I have found that the Miracle grow products( cheap, inorganic) are fantastic for my hanging baskets of flowers. Use miracle grow in the garden on the grow bags like as you said they are constantly getting washed out. Early spring before I plant i like using a compost, and something like Espoma PlantTone , bone meal or blood meal, or All Purpose Fertilizer or Dr. Earth before planting. I plant probably over plant in my raised beds, and will fertilize with a water mixed one Fish emulsion in mid season on my heavy feeders. So in any given growing seasons I usually have several types of fertilizers to select from. Really enjoyed the video, but really there is a use for just about all of the above.
Great information! I’m just starting to explore fertilizers so this video was very informative.
Thank you for this simple yet informative explanation of this garden stuff. Very helpful.
Your videos are great n you explain everything so we understand. Thank you 👍
Fantastic video! The way you explained the different types of fertilizers and broke down the ingredients and what to look for was simply outstanding!
I'm glad you enjoyed it!
This info is top notch. Thank you.
I've been gardening only a few years, but I'm an engineer/scientist by trade so I've spent countless hours learning the science behind soil, composting, gardening, etc. I think this video is hands down the most concise, correct, complete summary of fertilizers for a home garden.
This year, I have new planters for tomatoes and I started with FoxFarm Potting Mix and then have been adding pureed bananas and eggshells every couple of weeks and bone meal. Lately, it's been that plus Jack's Tomato Feed liquid with some of Jack's 20-20-20 when it rains hard. I have used BT and soap water spray for pest pressure. A good 3" layer of shredded pine bark for top mulch. When I pull these plants, I've used a 50% shade cloth for hot spells too. I found that a good prune of some leaves from the plant in early August boosted the plants to stop being lazy in the heat and pump up the fruit and ripen them. It worked. I will top dress with more FoxFarm Potting Mix, and probably add some Espoma Plant-tone and Azomite in too and cover for the winter to be ready for Spring. I'm in zone 6B Indiana.
Just FYI egg shells take about 2 years to break down into nutrients the plant can use. Your Jack's fertilizer is what's saving your plants and making them grow. Azomite also takes an extremely long time to become available.
My local Walmart had all their fertilizer on clearance. $5 for the same brand blood meal and bone meal along with all other fertilizer some $3. Purchased enough for next year.
Was this recently?
Thankful for this video I’m not sure if my first comment was added I didn’t see it so I’m leaving the second comment. Thank you so much you broke this down to the very last compound. As soon as I watched this video, I went to the store and then I watched it over and over and took note. Amazing hollering THANK YOU all the way from zone 8b.
Very well done and explained.
This was very helpful! With all of the different fertilizers on the market, it's not easy figuring out which is best for each situation! I will use this video as a referral tool before I go buy a fertilizer. Thank you!!
yes, and its that time of year to watch the garden center at Wally World to put garden stuff on clearance. I always snag clearance fertilizer. And also check HD weekly for fertilizer clearance, they were seriously clearing out blood meal at mine and of course I bought it all.
I followed your video about fish emulsion, it really worked and we have been enjoying the veggies in our garden. Also, my calamondin in a container grows more blooms.Thanks so much!
I like your videos , a lot of information to take in . Thanks for sharing
Best explainer, I have subscribed. Another channel I love to watch after Project Farm.
Thanks for subscribing! I appreciate it.
Love the breakdown and have been using your advice to really improve my garden. Thank you for your content. ❤
You're welcome! Glad the videos are helping.
Thank you for explaining the different types of fertilizers and their most appropriate use. Fertilizers have gotten so expensive now that it helps to understand how to get the best use for your dollar.
The fertilizers have gotten more expensive, but the sales have also gotten better. I'm noticing higher MSRP's, but when they do go on sale, the discounts are deeper. I've been posting a lot of them lately if you follow my Community Posts. A lot of online sellers are clearing out their inventories leftover from the year, and when they go on sale, they've been pretty good.
@@TheMillennialGardenerI appreciate all your hard work keeping us informed 🙂
Just found your channel. Huge fan already thanks.:)
Well, one size definitely does not fit all. It’s a challenge for most backyard gardeners that we don’t want a whole shed full of different fertilizers. You make great points and watching your videos is always a learning experience. Love the job at the HOA.
Love your videos,very informative..I follow you extensively for my fig trees…I experimented with my potted celest (at least I believe it is) I put a 12” x 3/4 pvc pipe into the soil ,about every 10 days when I fertilize I add some honey with a pint of warm water….just for the he’ll of it..thinking the sugars will be absorbed by the plant….when I picked the fruit it was amazing….the top of the fruit taste like a honeydew and the bottom taste sweet like honey….a nice golden color
Thanks so much for explaining the difference. I understand now.
Glad it was helpful!
Fantastic coverage of an intimidating subject! Some time in the future, could you maybe cover your fertilizing regimen for the different types of plants (nightshades, root veg., greens, etc.)? I know you include this info in each how-to, but it would be interesting to get a comprehensive view so that we could get a feel for how differently you treat each crop type. I imagine given the quantity and variety that you grow in your beautiful garden that you have a digital schedule. True?
I think it's solid advice. Nice job.
Great information.
Where can I get the giant cart behind you in the video? I didn't see it on the Amazon list.
My home was built in 1896 before HOAs were a thing. I grow flowers and ground cover in my front yard bc nobody can stop me.
Unfortunately, it seems planned neighborhoods, HOA's, townhomes and condos are the way of the future. The old way of single detached, private homes with big backyards are falling out of favor (or just becoming outrageously expensive). It's still possible to garden, but it often requires a little help from fertilizers to make the best of it.
Not a single lie told.....I agree with you and have the same sentiments on the last resort choices.
You should try Agrothrive. I've had great results with it up in the piedmont.
Great explanation that came at the right time for me. Our garden has struggled and the level 2, 3, 4 seems to be where we need to focus. But I’m unsure when to apply. Do you have a video of a schedule of application. Maybe a baseline plan for fertilizer application and amounts. Our 10 years of experience needs a boost along the front range of Colorado. Thank so much.
i put all four of these in the hole of all my plants- bone meal, blood meal, crab and lobster meal and Azomite. It’s made a huge difference in my container garden.
Good job ,,u spot on
The close up on the mention of HOA is hilarious. I guess the best use of the cheapest fertilizer will be for perennial ornamentals like grass, flowers, bushes, and non-fruit trees.
One container bed has been stunting/killing whatever plant I placed in there and I'm deducing it to be nematodes (evidence of root knot on my root veggies). I finally got some fresh compost ready to go, so I'm hoping that mixing it in will change the ecosystem (since granular and liquid supplementation didn't prevent the withering/stunt/death of the plants). Man, I was hoping to get some nice watermelons, or go a second year of my overwintered bell pepper plant.
HOA's are a blessing and a curse. They can be pushy and annoying, but I also grew up on a dead end street where our neighbor had a bunch of old cars rotting in the front yard, so I don't miss that very much 😅 Building a perimeter fence "fixed" my HOA problems. Try adding a bag of the crab and lobster shell meal to the bed and mixing it throughout. You may also want to go a year without planting nightshades and cucurbits in it. Stick to lettuce, brassicas, carrots, peas, string beans, etc. I haven't had RKN's affect those crops. It's the tomatoes and peppers that get the root knots for me.
Very informative and educational! Yum yum Dale 🐕🐾💕
Glad you enjoyed it!
How long will the Alaska fertilizer last. I have a big bottle but won't need it until next spring.
Great video, & I took notes, in Sacramento, CA, we do have a different weather... but your words of wisdom are well received, Thank you 🙂
I’m just north of you, what an awesome place to garden eh? Can not beat the weather 👍🏻
The comments about the pelletized lawn fertilizer were new info to me. I have used bone meal mostly for planting fall perennials, bulb, etc. I will probably use it in my vegetable garden next year as well as the usual manure/humus mix added in. The price of bone meal has really gone up since the last time I purchased it. Makes me want to make my own. Have you ever done that? If so, a video on that would be great,
p.s. Dale is a really sweet, beautiful dog :)
I think between my experience this year, and research I have a plan for next year.
This year has gone pretty well overall having 2 4x8 raised beds in a community garden. After I cleared out the weeds, and overwintered onions and carrots left by the last plot tenant, I put compost from the store and some Milorganite in the beds and used a claw to break up and soil a bit. When I planted, I added a tablespoon of Happy Frog Tomato and Vegetable organic fertilizer in each hole along with some worm castings. I then applied MiracleGro all purpose every other week after the first month since my mom had an extra bottle and gave it to me. Once I got flowers, I switched to the Fox Farm Tiger Bloom every other week. I’ve had a pretty productive harvest and there’s more to come. I had some issues with my San Marzano plant but I don’t think it’s just in the cards for this climate in SE Wisconsin and another tomato plant that got some blight (but I still got some fruits off of it).
I had 2 pepper plants die that weren’t pest related and replaced those spots with other plants that have done very well.
I think next year I’ll use an organic all purpose during the year and just scratch in after the initial planting. And maybe amend with some bone meal since I had some end rot on the San Marzanos and my Sugar Rush peppers. I did have success using the Happy Frog fertilizer at my mom’s house scratching it in during the season since I couldn’t make it over as much as I wanted to. Kept the plants looking pretty good overall.
First year I planted San Marzano tomatoes I got blossom end rot, due to lack of calcium, this year I added bone meal at planting and no rot!😁👍🏻
Great information. 💚
Very informative when and how to use those various fertilizers. Very helpful. Since you have a bunch of fig trees, do you also dry your figs? Dale always gets fed really well. Thank you for sharing your video.
This year, I made a ton of fig jam. In previous years, I've dehydrated them. I have a video on that here: ua-cam.com/video/M_UBfb_eekI/v-deo.htmlsi=Am2rB9Q7KBhfBVDS
Great information. I thought you liked Jack's 20-20-20
Hello & Thanks a bunch for this post. It came right on time for my question. I know have a complete understanding of compost. However l have left one 4x4 ft garden bed to lay bare all summer long, so it has just been baked by the sun. Can you please tell me how to bring that bed back to life🙏🏽
Another great video! Thanks for breaking it down for us.
Question for you, I live in ontario Canada zone 6b, our winters get down to -20-25 degrees Celsius. When would be the best time to roto till the garden and mix in compost with manure and some fertilizer. I've heard fall and I've heard early spring.
Thanks again! follows your videos this year and my garden has been 10x better than another years!
What is the best material to fill new raised beds before toping with good top soil?
I have a video on that here: ua-cam.com/video/c-BRQwfVn8Y/v-deo.htmlsi=8X8mA5UX_FckedBS
Great information that I didn't understand. I am going to check past videos for how to get microbes in my soil.
Beautiful video! 👌🏾Good communication skill. I found this video helpful! Thanks for sharing ❤❤I have subscribed too🙂
I did find it helpful. Your videos always help us. I have a question. Have you ever used REV plant fertilizer? I order it every spring to help reduce transplant shock. I just wondered what you thought about it if you’ve used it.
Does Osmocote fall into that last category?
I agree with everything you brought. I do mostly bags and have to water every day. I wish i could set up drip but the dynamics don't work, I move stuff around all the time. I have started using Jack's 20-20-20 maybe twice a month as well as Agrothrive, both fruit and flower and all purpose every week. I have 6 month old peppers in 5 gallon bags chugging along still producing.
Thank you for a great fertilizer class, I use a lot of the Espoma products and also I use Jacks all purpose and Bloom booster
You're welcome! Thanks for watching!
This is most likely the best advice ever given on fertilizer. Thank you!! You are so friggin baller I can't even stand it ❤❤ MAD LOVE BRUV!!!!
I amend once a month with all purpose organic and I feed once a week with synthetic. Works great every season.
Wish you would do a video solely on nematodes. It isn't just a southern soil problem. We had them in Minnesota too!
Generally agree with your priorities, but I think it’s difficult to rank when products are intended for different uses and applications. Compost is clearly gold medal! For me, homemade leaf mold is a must. Regarding lawn fertilizer, I do use 21-0-0 from Lowe’s for my onions and garlic. It’s very effective, cheap, and faster acting than most lawn fert. I believe it is mainly ammonium sulfate.
Thank you this was very very helpful. Thoughts on mushroom compost? Thank you,
A Zone 7b garden friend
You're welcome! Mushroom compost is fine. I used to use it, but Lowe's raised the price $1/bag, so now I use the manure compost since it's significantly cheaper. I'd use whatever I could get for the best deal and is a quality product.
Great video. I have a cheap granulated 8-24-24. I grow tomato and peppers mostly in containers with coco coir. I just did this today. I put it in a blender and powdered everything with 15g premixed micronutrients per kg (1000g) of fertilizer. Does this sound like decent technique for a coco and container setup?
Agree. I use almost the exact same stuff. I did switch to agrothrive from the 5-1-1… It’s basically the same stuff plus micros the 5-1-1 is missing. Using HOSS seed micronutrient booster as well.
I am building a raised garden from scratch. I would like to put some type of top over it for shade and heavy rain protection. What would be your recommendation? Will shade cloth be ok or would it need to be something more solid? I live in southwest Missouri and keep in mind I’m 80+ years of age. Guess I’m a late bloomer 😊.
I laughed at “you monster” harder than any gardening video I’ve seen. He’s such a good boy!
Recently I was watching an old video and you were asking about Dale and Thunder with anxiety I did leave a message if you haven’t done this yet they have thunder vest on Amazon❤ love your videos and Dale 😊
Great video and good information!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Thanks for video! Very informative and in great format!
You’re welcome!
can you tell me your opinion on homemade fertilizer from plant based materials?? have you ever tryed it
Great info. I really needed this!
Glad it was helpful!