Fertilizing Vegetables in Raised Beds

Q. Hello!  I met you this spring when you helped me get some of the Tomato Lady compost plus a similar version with composted biosolids.  I used some of the compost for fruit trees, but saved some for veggies boxes, which I am putting together now.  To get started, should I use 100% compost, or add anything else?  I'm thinking of vermiculite to help hold water, but also want to know what you think about rock dust, Sea-90 or other mineral additive. I can't remember if the Tomato Lady soil had some minerals added.  Also, I see that you recommend side dressing (what is this?) with a 21-0-0, which is perhaps the ammonium sulfate I see on the website?  Is that something I add later, not at the beginning?

A. Tomato Lady soil mix has everything that you need to grow vegetables for the first three or four months. You will need to add a one inch layer of compost to the bed once a year from now on out then mix it into the bed as deep as you can by tilling or spading and turning the soil over. This keeps the soil open for the roots and drainage and the nutrients loaded in the soil for the vegetables.

Tomato lady soil mix now in plastic bags

In my experience with rock dust you don’t get much out of it unless you have been growing in that soil for a couple of years and adding mineral fertilizers. If you mix in compost you probably will not see much difference when you use it.

High nitrogen natural fertilizer, blood meal at 12% nitrogen

Side dressing is applying a dribble of your favorite nitrogen fertilizer four inches parallel to a vegetable row. Nitrogen is the most limiting nutrient for vegetables and it will run out of the best soil mixes in about three of four months after mixing compost into it and growing plants. So, three to four months after planting in a newly composted or new vegetable bed, dribble lightly a high nitrogen fertilizer in a straight line parallel to the row e.g. like ammonium sulfate (21-0-0) or fish emulsion or blood meal or your favorite nitrogen fertilizer and water it in. IF the vegetables are growing like gang busters then don’t add nitrogen until their growth slows. Particularly to tomatoes.

Good idea on separating the vegetables in different beds. Make sure you rotate these vegetables into different beds each year to minimize disease problems accumulating in the soil.