It’s springtime and that means one thing for us homesteaders – time to get our hands dirty in the garden! There’s nothing quite as satisfying as preparing your beds, sowing seeds, and watching the fruits of your labor spring to life over the coming weeks and months.
One key to a healthy, productive garden is fertilizing your soil with the nutrients it needs to support vibrant plant growth. While there are endless commercial fertilizers on the market, I’m a big believer in going au naturale whenever possible. Not only are natural fertilizers better for the environment, they’re often cheaper too! Over my years of gardening, I’ve experimented with all sorts of natural fertilizer options. Today, I want to share some of my top picks with you.
Compost – Black Gold for Your Garden
In my opinion, compost is the holy grail of natural fertilizers. It’s like black gold for your garden! Compost is simply decomposed organic matter, and it works wonders at improving soil structure while providing a long-term supply of nutrients.
We maintain several compost piles on our homestead, which we add to year-round with things like grass clippings, leaves, garden waste, and kitchen scraps (no meat or dairy though!). Over time, all that organic matter breaks down into a rich, earthy substance that our garden plants simply love.
My top tip for composting: make sure you maintain a good mix of “green” materials like fresh grass clippings and “brown” materials like dead leaves. This ensures your compost pile heats up properly and breaks down efficiently. Aim for about a 30:1 ratio of brown to green materials. Turn your pile every few weeks with a pitchfork to distribute air and moisture.
Manure – The Stinky Superfood
Animal manures are another fantastic natural fertilizer for the garden. Yes, I know it’s a bit smelly, but trust me – your plants will thank you! Manure is chock full of nitrogen and other essential plant nutrients. Cow, horse, goat, and poultry manures can all be used.
The key with manure is to make sure it’s well-aged and not fresh, as fresh manure is too “hot” and can burn your plants. We usually let manure age for at least six months before spreading it on garden beds. You can apply a 1-2 inch layer and work it into the top 6-12 inches of soil before planting.
If you don’t raise livestock yourself, ask around at local farms – many will sell or give away aged manure. Some municipalities also collect and compost manure, making it available to gardeners.
Bone Meal – Phosphorus Power-Up
For a concentrated dose of phosphorus and calcium, bone meal is hard to beat as a natural slow-release fertilizer. It’s made from ground up animal bones, usually as a byproduct of beef production. Bone meal encourages strong root growth, so it’s great to mix into soil when first planting or transplanting.
I like to add a few tablespoons of bone meal to each planting hole when setting out new seedlings. Just be careful not to overdo it – a little bone meal goes a long way! Also, be aware that dogs are sometimes attracted to the smell of bone meal. If pets or wildlife getting into your garden is a concern, you might want to skip this one.
Kelp Meal – Micronutrient Boost
Did you know that seaweed makes an excellent plant fertilizer? Kelp meal is derived from dried and ground seaweed. It’s loaded with trace minerals and plant growth hormones that can really give your garden a boost.
Kelp meal can be mixed into soil or used as a foliar spray. To make a foliar spray, mix 1 tablespoon kelp meal per gallon of water and apply it to plant leaves with a spray bottle or backpack sprayer. The nutrients are absorbed right through the foliage. I’ve found this especially helpful for giving heat-stressed plants a midsummer pick-me-up.
Keep in mind that a little kelp goes a long way. Aim for no more than ¼ pound per 100 square feet of garden bed. Think of it more like a vitamin supplement than a main meal for your soil.
Cover Crops – The Hardest Working Plants in the Garden
Cover crops are another trick for building long-term soil fertility. Also known as “green manure,” cover crops are plants grown specifically to be tilled back into the soil. They help smother weeds, prevent erosion, and add organic matter to the soil as they decompose.
Some great cover crop options include clover, vetch, rye, and buckwheat. We like to plant cover crops in the fall after the main garden season wraps up. The cover crop grows through the winter and then gets tilled under in late winter or early spring, a few weeks before it’s time to plant the garden again.
As the tilled-in cover crop decomposes, it releases nutrients and increases the soil’s water-holding capacity – a win-win! Just be sure to allow enough time for decomposition before planting your main crops.
Lasagna Gardening – Layer It Up
For a new twist on building soil fertility, try lasagna gardening. No, you’re not planting pasta! With lasagna gardening, you build new garden beds by layering organic materials like a lasagna. Alternate layers of “brown” materials like shredded leaves or straw with layers of “green” materials like grass clippings or food scraps. You can also toss in things like coffee grounds, egg shells, and shredded newspaper.
Top off your lasagna bed with a layer of finished compost and let it sit for a few months. The layers will “cook down” and transform into rich, plantable soil. You can plant right into your lasagna bed, no tilling required. The materials will continue breaking down and feeding your soil throughout the growing season.
I first tried lasagna gardening a few years back, and I was amazed at how well it worked. The beds I made using this method have proven to be some of my most productive garden spaces. Give it a try!
Worm Castings – Soil Enricher Supreme
Finally, let’s talk worm poop! Okay, okay, the technical term is “worm castings.” These small, nutrient-rich granules are left behind after worms digest organic matter. Worm castings work miracles at improving soil texture and fertility.
You can buy worm castings, but I prefer to get them for free by vermicomposting (a fancy word for worm composting). We have a few vermicompost bins in our yard where we feed our food scraps to a thriving population of red wiggler worms. The worms eat the scraps and leave behind a bounty of castings for the garden.
To use the castings, just sprinkle them around your plants and scratch them into the top inch of soil. You can also brew worm castings into a “compost tea” to use as a liquid fertilizer. Simply steep a mesh bag full of castings in a bucket of water overnight. Strain out the castings and use the “tea” to water your plants.
Fertilize Naturally for Garden Success
With so many awesome natural fertilizer options out there, there’s just no need to resort to synthetic fertilizers. Remember – healthy soil is the foundation of a thriving garden. By incorporating natural soil amendments like compost, manure, bone meal, kelp, cover crops, and worm castings, you’ll be well on your way to your best garden yet.
I hope this gives you some new ideas to try in your own garden this year. What natural fertilizers have worked well for you? Do you have any other tips to share? Leave a comment below – I always love learning from my fellow gardening enthusiasts!
Happy planting!
