The county provides good compost for our community beds and Soil3 is great option for in-ground and raised beds and containers but I often don’t feel that’s enough fertilizer for my growing vegetables. I get fussy about what I use. I don’t want the El-Cheapo 10-10-10 from the big box stores. I want a quality, granular, all-around fertilizer that has trace elements in the mix to use on a regular basis. Espoma and Dr. Earth are my first go-to choices, but there are several other good options to choose from and liquids also. I don’t use the three and six month pellets as I would rather fertilize somewhat systematically as I watch how my veggies are growing. Timing is just as important. Unless it gets on my calendar when I do fertilize with a reminder set in 3 weeks later, too much time passes, and my vegetables don’t get enough nourishment to help them grow their best. And the other thing I always must factor in is bloom time and the heavy feeders. Mom always taught me to fertilize at planting and fertilize again when you see the first
blooms, then on a regular basis. Tomatoes, peppers, squash, and cucumbers are all heavy feeders so in my bed, they get hit at least every three weeks after they start producing. Onions too are heavy feeders which I tend to forget to fertilize because it’s wintertime, but they need to be on my reminder list too.
Just remember to fertilize and your vegetables will thank you!