Square Foot Gardening Forum
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Welcome to the official Square Foot Gardening Forum.
There's lots to learn here by reading as a guest. However, if you become a member (it's free, ad free and spam-free) you'll have access to our large vermiculite databases, our seed exchange spreadsheets, Mel's Mix calculator, and many more members' pictures in the Gallery. Enjoy.

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Square Foot Gardening Forum
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espoma? Toplef10espoma? 1zd3ho10

Hello Guest!
Welcome to the official Square Foot Gardening Forum.
There's lots to learn here by reading as a guest. However, if you become a member (it's free, ad free and spam-free) you'll have access to our large vermiculite databases, our seed exchange spreadsheets, Mel's Mix calculator, and many more members' pictures in the Gallery. Enjoy.

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Post  cyclonegardener 5/27/2014, 11:37 pm

I decided to make a mix using
one part wood ash
1.5 parts blood meal
1.5 parts bone meal
1.5 "Espoma" vegetable mix
It ends up being 6-4-5, if my addition is right.
Any comments?
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Post  sanderson 5/28/2014, 2:58 am

Are you trying to make a custom fertilizer? Is there a reason you need it this year? Your garden is 100% SFG so I am wondering what has happened that you would need a fertilizer. Thanks
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Post  camprn 5/28/2014, 6:57 am

sanderson wrote:Are you trying to make a custom fertilizer?  Is there a reason you need it this year?  Your garden is 100% SFG so I am wondering what has happened that you would need a fertilizer.  Thanks
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Post  cyclonegardener 5/28/2014, 9:43 am

I was going off of the Square Foot gardening book's mix for adding fertilizer after harvesting a square foot of produce.   That mix called for bone meal, ashes, leaf compost and blood meal. My leaf compost isn't ready, so I thought about adding something like Espoma to my mix. I also am sprinkling it, maybe once a month, in small doses, to the existing crop as a side dressing and when I transplant. I also am trying it on my lawn occassionally, especially at the start of the growing season. Are you saying you don't need any fertilizer during the growing season as long as you have the compost?
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Post  walshevak 5/28/2014, 10:37 am

Which version of the Square Foot Gardening Book are you using?  I am using the 2006 ALL NEW SQUARE FOOT GARDENING (there is a 2012 2nd edition) and I don't remember anything about this kind of supplement.  We are adding homemade and/or a 5 types blend of purchased composts to our squares between crops and as top dressing on long lived plants.  Are you using the basic 1/3 peat moss, 1/3  blended compost, 1/3 vermiculite soil-less mix that we call Mel's Mix in your beds?

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Post  cyclonegardener 5/28/2014, 12:00 pm

It's an older version I picked up in a library book sale. I'm using Mel's mix, 1/3 peat moss, 1/3 vermiculite and 1/3 compost
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Post  Denese 5/28/2014, 2:09 pm

You obviously have the original Square Foot Gardening book.  I also have that one.  Until the All New Square Foot Gardening book came out, that's the book I used.  Yes, it does call for mixing that type of fertilizer.  The ANSFG method, using Mel's Mix does not need the fertilizer.  The original method needed it because you were using your own ammended soil, and not Mel's Mix.  Hope this helps clear up the confusion.
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Post  sanderson 5/28/2014, 2:18 pm

Ah, ha! Mystery solved! Thanks, Denese.

Old method (Pre-2006) included dirt = fertilize

New method (2006 to current date) no dirt = compost
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Post  camprn 5/28/2014, 2:45 pm

Cyclone gardener, the original version of SFG is no longer promoted by Mel. If you can pick up the newer version. 

The best thing to do is nourish the soil (Mel's mix) not just the plants which is accomplished by using well rounded compost instead of fertilizer.

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Post  cyclonegardener 5/28/2014, 4:20 pm

thanks!
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Post  southern gardener 7/10/2014, 12:10 am

did your fertilizer end up working? I had the best luck with the "old recipe"...
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Post  cyclonegardener 7/10/2014, 9:48 am

Actually it worked perfect. My melons, potatoes and tomatoes really liked it.
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Post  Marc Iverson 7/10/2014, 5:46 pm

The old book is still great for people who for whatever reason can't follow the prescriptions in the All New SFG book -- cost being the most likely factor. Eventually it is nice to work towards more and more of one's gardening following the ANSFG method, perhaps as time and finances permit, but many of us have and will continue to have mixed gardens. Either way, everyone is welcome here and there's a lot to be learned for everyone.
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Post  cyclonegardener 7/10/2014, 10:15 pm

actually, my problem is availability of the various manures that I can easily get to. I do get packaged composted cow manure and mushroom compost, but in large 20 pound bags. I also have used worm castings.  I am making my own compost right now out of tree leaves. I put the pile in October. I also mixed some alfalfa meal and kitchen scraps through the winter. This spring I started to put in garden waste. I try not to put in too much grass clippings, as I don't mow as often as I should and alot of it goes to seed. I just started using my tree leaves compost from last fall this week. Hopefully, over time, most of my compost will come from my own pile. I calculate that by the end of this year, I can put one inch of compost of nearly all of my raised beds. That said, right now, some times, I find I have to side dress with espoma. I also use fish emulsion and this year, I am experimenting with spirulina tablets because of the trace minerals.
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Post  Marc Iverson 7/10/2014, 11:52 pm

For what it's worth, manure is not a required component in ANSFG, just five different types of composts.
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Post  southern gardener 7/11/2014, 12:18 am

cyclonegardener wrote:Actually it worked perfect. My melons, potatoes and tomatoes really liked it.
awesome!! glad it worked for you! congrats Smile
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Post  cyclonegardener 7/11/2014, 12:16 pm

You are correct, I meant to say compost, which includes composted manures.
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Post  camprn 7/11/2014, 12:18 pm

Marc Iverson wrote:For what it's worth, manure is not a required component in ANSFG, just five different types of composts.
Please be more specific as I do not understand this comment.

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Post  sanderson 7/6/2015, 2:39 pm

I broke down and bought some Espoma for Tomatoes and Espoma for Veggies as easy-to-apply top dressing/fertilizer. I haven't made any new compost this summer (so hot) and what I have in the cage has seaweed, so it is precious. I wanted to distribute the seaweed compost evenly in all my boxes and containers as I remove crops this fall.

When I opened the first bag, the smell reminded me of composting poultry mortality from when I worked as a health inspector. Shocked Stuff has got to be good if it smells so bad!! Burying mortality for decades had impacted the nitrate/nitrite content in well water (blue baby syndrome from nitrites). So trials were being conducted on composting mortality with straw in bins. The problem they encountered was fly breeding (a public nuisance). I'm out of the loop now but the smell will stay with me forever.

Off to water in the Espoma.

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Post  Marc Iverson 7/6/2015, 3:28 pm

camprn wrote:
Marc Iverson wrote:For what it's worth, manure is not a required component in ANSFG, just five different types of composts.
Please be more specific as I do not understand this comment.

There are composts, like mint compost and mushroom compost and even home-made compost, that don't or don't necessarily have to have any manure in them.
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