I picked up soil amendments yesterday that I bought in bulk for my garden. After my beds are empty this fall I will add this to the soil to prepare them for spring. Gardening products have been somewhat of a challenge in my area to find. So I wanted to post a good organic recipe for fertilizer that I have used for probably 30 years and try to stock at all times. Most can be found at your farm co-op or feed store. This is somewhat of a slow release fertilizer that won't burn. It also will not damage your soil structure. An added plus is that most of the ingredients can be US sourced.
Steve Solomon is a knowledgeable gardener. He has written several garden books, and started the Territorial Seed Company in 1979 when he was 37 years old. Seven years later, he sold the business but he continues to garden and grow a large portion of the food he eats. He has been growing most of his family’s food for over 35 years.
Many years ago, he formulated a recipe for a wonderful organic fertilizer. The recipe used to be in the Territorial Seed Catalog before they began mixing and selling their own fertilizer. It is good for all plants, and will make you plants thrive. One should apply 4-6 quarts of this fertilizer per 100 square feet.
I’ve used this recipe for many years.
Complete Organic Fertilizer (COF) Recipe
Mix uniformly, in parts by volume:
4 parts seed meal
1/4 part ordinary agricultural lime, best finely ground
1/4 part gypsum (or double the agricultural lime)
1/2 part dolomite lime
Plus, for best results:
1 part bone meal, rock phosphate or high-phosphate guano
1/2 to 1 part kelp meal (or 1 part basalt dust)
If you’re concerned about the amount of lime in this recipe (as I was) read Mr. Solomon’s explanation below. I’ve read forums that discuss this recipe, and experts agree with what he says here.
“You may have read that the acidity or pH of soil should be corrected by liming. I suggest that you forget about pH. Liming to adjust soil pH may be useful in large-scale farming, but is not of concern in an organic garden. In fact, the whole concept of soil pH is controversial. ”
In Steve Solomon’s latest book The Intelligent Gardener: Growing Nutrient Dense Food he has updated his COF recipe to include many more ingredients and options, but he has also provided an easy option on page 82.
To make enough complete organic fertilizer to generously cover 100 square feet, mix:
3 quarts oil seed meal such as soybean meal, cottonseed meal or canola seed meal or 1 1/2 quarts feather meal or fish meal (smelly)
or, the very best combination is probably 2 quarts oil seed meal, 1 pint feather meal and 1 pint fish meal
Add:
1 quart soft or colloidal rock phosphate (the best choice by far) or bone meal
1 quart kelp meal and/or 1 pint Azomite (for trace minerals) (And/or apply liquid kelp every 2 weeks as a foliar throughout the season.)
Add lime: choose one of these two options:
If you garden where the land originally grew a forest, add these two:
1 pint agricultural limestone, 100# (fine grind) and
1 pint agricultural gypsum;
or if you garden where the land originally grew prairie grass or is a desert add:
1 quart agricultural gypsum
If you do not live in Cascadia, add 1/3 cup potassium sulfate.
The following last four items are optional:
1 teaspoon laundry borax or a smaller quantity of Solubor (1/2 gm actual boron)
1 1/2 teaspoons zinc sulfate
2 teaspoons manganese sulfate
1 teaspoon copper sulfate
Mix all ingredients are very thoroughly before spreading.
Steve Solomon is a knowledgeable gardener. He has written several garden books, and started the Territorial Seed Company in 1979 when he was 37 years old. Seven years later, he sold the business but he continues to garden and grow a large portion of the food he eats. He has been growing most of his family’s food for over 35 years.
Many years ago, he formulated a recipe for a wonderful organic fertilizer. The recipe used to be in the Territorial Seed Catalog before they began mixing and selling their own fertilizer. It is good for all plants, and will make you plants thrive. One should apply 4-6 quarts of this fertilizer per 100 square feet.
I’ve used this recipe for many years.
Complete Organic Fertilizer (COF) Recipe
Mix uniformly, in parts by volume:
4 parts seed meal
1/4 part ordinary agricultural lime, best finely ground
1/4 part gypsum (or double the agricultural lime)
1/2 part dolomite lime
Plus, for best results:
1 part bone meal, rock phosphate or high-phosphate guano
1/2 to 1 part kelp meal (or 1 part basalt dust)
If you’re concerned about the amount of lime in this recipe (as I was) read Mr. Solomon’s explanation below. I’ve read forums that discuss this recipe, and experts agree with what he says here.
“You may have read that the acidity or pH of soil should be corrected by liming. I suggest that you forget about pH. Liming to adjust soil pH may be useful in large-scale farming, but is not of concern in an organic garden. In fact, the whole concept of soil pH is controversial. ”
In Steve Solomon’s latest book The Intelligent Gardener: Growing Nutrient Dense Food he has updated his COF recipe to include many more ingredients and options, but he has also provided an easy option on page 82.
To make enough complete organic fertilizer to generously cover 100 square feet, mix:
3 quarts oil seed meal such as soybean meal, cottonseed meal or canola seed meal or 1 1/2 quarts feather meal or fish meal (smelly)
or, the very best combination is probably 2 quarts oil seed meal, 1 pint feather meal and 1 pint fish meal
Add:
1 quart soft or colloidal rock phosphate (the best choice by far) or bone meal
1 quart kelp meal and/or 1 pint Azomite (for trace minerals) (And/or apply liquid kelp every 2 weeks as a foliar throughout the season.)
Add lime: choose one of these two options:
If you garden where the land originally grew a forest, add these two:
1 pint agricultural limestone, 100# (fine grind) and
1 pint agricultural gypsum;
or if you garden where the land originally grew prairie grass or is a desert add:
1 quart agricultural gypsum
If you do not live in Cascadia, add 1/3 cup potassium sulfate.
The following last four items are optional:
1 teaspoon laundry borax or a smaller quantity of Solubor (1/2 gm actual boron)
1 1/2 teaspoons zinc sulfate
2 teaspoons manganese sulfate
1 teaspoon copper sulfate
Mix all ingredients are very thoroughly before spreading.
