Feeding fruits and veg... is there a one size fits all approach?

[Noosner]

I'm a tad haphazard when it comes to feeding my fruit and veg plants. My general rule is to manure well before planting then feed with organic liquid seaweed once a week when things fruit/flower (when I remember!)

But I get inklings on this forum that this may not be specific enough. Also I get inklings in the garden/allotment in the shape of mediocre crops!

Is it a case of reading up on the needs of each individual plant, buying different feeds and then drawing up some sort of table to help remember when to do what and to whom? Or is there a more general one-size-fits-all approach?

Would love some advice on this.

[Bigmallly]

My approach is really haphazard......................my feed is a trug full of plant foliage & weeds topped up with water. I have to keep a dustbin lid on it cos it reeks to high heaven................but bye gum, does it do 't trick....I put a jug full to every watering can about once a week otherwise I would need a mask to go into 't kite............ The plants just love it.

[Penellype]

I think you have to do things differently if you have plants in pots to plants in open ground. I rarely feed anything in the ground, having composted and mulched it before/during planting. If I am re-using compost for pots I will add blood fish and bone, and I feed tomatoes with tomato feed because I do keep them in very small pots. Other than that, things are targetted if they start to look sickly - for example I inadvertently used ericaceous compost instead of MPC to make a no dig bed, then planted beans in it (theres lack of knowledge and there's crass stupidity...). I noticed the foliage was going yellow so I added some cal-sea-feed, and the beans are now fine.

So in my case, one size fits all is probably do nothing. I don't grow huge veg though, I like them small.

[Bren In Pots]

I use blood fish and bone a week or so before planting then nettle feeds for greens and comfrey for anything fruiting no real measurements just a splotch in the watering can.

[roitelet]

If you feed your soil there shouldn't be any need to feed the veg.

[Potstubsdustbins]

I tend to use a lot of feeds purely because I grow in pots and reuse old compost. Basically it's growmore or dried FYM to sweeten old compost, this will gentle kick things off and last about 5 to 6 weeks. Then it's is usually Miracle Gro,high nitrogen for green growth, followed by tomorite, high potash for fruit production.

I have a friend who's hobby is growing big, he is really into it. He produce's different compost's for different plants and even sends samples away for analysis so he can micro adjust his mixes.

[Noosner]

Oh, thanks folks, this is really great news!! It sounds as though my haphazard approach isn't as bad as I thought.

I have heard about the weeds in water thing and did once get up the nerve to make a nettle tea, but it made me heave every time I went near it. I really could not believe how rank the smell was. But I probably need to man up, or whatever the female equivalent is.

I like the idea of not measuring. It always seems sissy-ish pouring stuff out into a little cap. Definitely should mulch more, though.

Thanks again, all.

[Noosner]

Yes, I do grow some things in pots and can see it's a good idea to feed those in a more applied way.

I suppose what has sparked this off is seeing other allotmenteers' huge onions (for example) where mine are always just medium sized. Or their superb crops of broad beans where my crop is small to average.

But I suppose some of this could be down to other things like having forgotten to pinch the tops out of the bbs and not watering the onions enough. It's perhaps not all down to nutrition.

[Ananke]

nettle feeds for greens and comfrey for anything fruiting no real measurements just a splotch in the watering can.

Yip, this is what I do, works great and costs nothing.

[bario1]

nettle feeds for greens and comfrey for anything fruiting

What do beans count as? Greens or fruiting?

[Bren In Pots]

What do beans count as? Greens or fruiting?

Once they've got pods on I count them as fruiting, also I add comfrey leaves to my bean trench.