How to Make Fertilizer for Soil

When planting a garden, you will certainly want to do as much as you can to help your plants grow. While chemical fertilizers will often cause a burst of growth when they are first applied to the soil, after one or two rainstorms or heavy watering they will dissolve and absorb deep into the earth until they no longer bring any benefit to your plants. A longer-lasting and more earth-friendly alternative is to mix your own organic fertilizer made with natural materials. Homemade organic fertilizers will not wash away and will continue to release nutrients as they decompose, which will result in large and healthy plants.

Small container for scooping
Large plastic bucket
Seed meal
Agricultural lime
Gypsum
Dolomitic lime
Garden hoe or spade

Instructions

- 1
  Measure out your ingredients by volume, using an old jar, bowl or cooking pot as a scoop. In a large plastic bucket, combine four parts seed meal with one-quarter part finely ground agricultural lime, one-quarter part gypsum and one-half part dolomitic lime. The amount of fertilizer you mix should depend on your individual needs, but approximately 10 quarts is usually a safe amount to start with.
- 2
  Blend the ingredients together thoroughly. If you are not planning to use the fertilizer right away; place a cover on the bucket and store the fertilizer in a cool, dry place; and then blend it again before using it in your garden.
- 3
  Spread the fertilizer over your garden soil along with a quarter-inch layer of compost or steer manure, and then use a hoe or spade to blend the mix into the soil before planting. You should use four to six quarts of fertilizer for every 100 square feet of garden. If you are using the fertilizer in a garden that has already been planted, gently work the fertilizer into the soil around the bases of the plants, taking care to avoid damaging the roots.

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Soil