Can I Fertilize My Food Plot After the Seed Is Down?

About Fertilizing Vegetable Gardens

• Vegetables require large amounts of nutrients to produce their fruit. Nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium are crucial elements for plant growth and fruit production. Other nutrients such as copper, manganese and iron are also needed in small amounts. The N-P-K numbers on a bag of fertilizer indicate the percentages of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium in the formula. Other nutrients may also be listed on the label. Fertilizers should only be used in the proper amounts for each type of vegetable. Too much fertilizer can cause imbalances of nutrients and problems with growth, according to Colorado State University Extension specialists C.E. Swift and J. Self.

Fertilizing Seed Started Indoors

• Many types of vegetables are started indoors to give them a fast start during the growing season. Seeds are started in trays or pots filling with seed-starting medium and allowed to grow to a few inches tall. Since seed-starting medium generally does not contain much fertilizer, you must add additional nutrients once the seedlings begin to emerge. Mix 1 1/2 tsp. of 5-10-5 fertilizer in 1 gallon of water and mix thoroughly. Apply 1/4 cup of this solution to each seedling every two weeks until you are ready to transplant them into their permanent location, advises University of Minnesota Extension specialist Vincent A. Fritz. Rinse the seedlings gently after fertilizing to prevent fertilizer burn of the delicate roots. A soil test, available at most agricultural extension services, can help you determine what nutrients your soil needs.

Fertilizing Beds Before Planting

• Most experts recommend fertilizing the soil before planting seeds for your food crop or at the time of planting. An 8-8-8 or 10-10-10 formula fertilizer is broadcast in an east-west-north-south fashion and worked into the soil to a depth of 3 inches, according to North Carolina State University horticulturalist Larry Bass.

Sidedressing Beds With Fertilizer

• Sidedressing is a method of fertilizing food crops to provide more nutrients after plants begin to grow. The fertilizer is placed in a band at the edge of the garden beds or between rows to add nutrients to the soil without burning the roots. As the nutrients permeate into the soil, the roots take in the nitrogen and other elements as needed to build fruit tissue. Either a 33-percent formula of ammonium nitrate, 2 cups of sodium nitrate or 3 to 4 cups of 8-8-8 fertilizer can be used for sidedressing food crop plants.