Can you fertilize your vegetable garden too often? Here’s what experts say

Improper fertilizing can harm your plants and reduce their production.

It’s natural to want what’s best for your vegetable garden, but it’s possible to give it too much of a good thing. In theory, fertilizing a vegetable garden will encourage healthy growth and high yields. However, it’s very easy to fertilize too much or too often, which can create big problems for your carrots and cucumbers.

Here, we spoke to gardening experts regarding how often to fertilize your vegetable garden. Avoid these common fertilizing mistakes, and your plants will be even healthier.

Meet Our Expert

• Niki Jabbour, founder of Savvy Gardening and the author of The Year-Round Vegetable Gardener
• Angela Judd, certified master gardener, author of How to Grow Your Own Food, and founder of Growing in the Garden 

Related: When to Stop Fertilizing Your Garden for the Year, According to Horticulturalists

Fertilizing Too Often

Yes, it’s very possible to fertilize your vegetables too often. However, fertilizing isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution, so knowing when to fertilize (and when to take a break) depends entirely on the growing conditions that you’re working with.

“Even organic fertilizer can be overused,” says Angela Judd, master gardener and founder of Growing in the Garden. “If you’re applying it more often or at a higher rate than the label recommends, then it’s too much. More fertilizer doesn’t automatically mean healthier plants or a better harvest.”

Proper fertilization comes down to careful observation. “Heavy-feeding plants may need it more consistently, while herbs and other light feeders may need less,” she says. “Pay attention to the plant and the soil instead of fertilizing just because the calendar says it’s time.”

Drawbacks

Overdoing it with fertilizer can seriously damage your vegetables. “Too much fertilizer can push excessive leafy growth, cause too much top growth without a strong enough root system, reduce production, and cause salts to build up in the soil,” says Judd.

It can also lead to fertilizer burn, says Niki Jabbour, founder of Savvy Gardening, which will damage the foliage.

Fertilizing the Right Way

Proper fertilizing has everything to do with understanding your growing conditions and adjusting your fertilization schedule accordingly. “It depends on factors such as soil type, soil fertility, and how you’re growing them—in pots or in garden beds,” says Jabbour. “For example, sandy soil drains very well and doesn’t retain nutrients as well as sandy or loamy soils. Therefore, you’ll need to fertilize vegetables growing in sandy soil more often.”

Jabbour recommends doing a soil test every two to three years—this will give you an idea of your soil’s fertility, and help you match it with the right fertilizer. “Generally speaking, however, I recommend using a granular organic vegetable fertilizer when crops are planted in spring. This is followed up with a liquid organic product every three to four weeks during the summer months,” she says. Use organic fertilizers, which will release nutrients over a longer period and contain trace nutrients.

Container vegetables are another consideration. “They have a limited amount of soil, and frequent watering can wash nutrients out,” says Judd. “I usually fertilize containers about once a month during the growing season, depending on the plant and how it looks.”

Pay attention to the weather too. If temperatures are high, your plants are likely stressed, so fertilizing is a bad idea. And make sure you’re using the right type of fertilizer composition. For example, a high nitrogen fertilizer will cause fruiting plants to focus on leafy growth, resulting in less abundant harvests and fewer flowers. “That’s fine for kale, but not ideal for tomatoes and peppers,” says Jabbour.

Overall, your focus should be on creating fertile soil for your vegetables. Judd achieves this via a slightly different method. “I add compost, worm castings, and organic matter, and I use in-bed vermicomposting,” she says. “The worms and microorganisms help break down organic matter and make nutrients available to the plants. That gives plants a steady supply of what they need without me guessing and adding fertilizer every few weeks... I only consider fertilizing when I have a reason.”

Read the original article on Martha Stewart