Feed for veg and fruit, what do you use and for what?

[4390evans]

Good morning ladies and gents,

So I was wondering what do you feed your fruit and veg?

The first year I grew stuff I just about managed to get stuff in the ground never mind feed anything, the second I clicked on to using tom feed for certain things and last year I added bone meal and chicken manurento the list..

Now I have quite a lot of stuff I want to plant this year so was wondering what you feed your fruit and veg?

[Jungle Jane]

Fruit trees & flowering shrubs Sulphur of potash or a tomato feed. I feed everything miracle grow plant food when they're in little pots about 6 weeks or so old,it's high nitrogen. Then when I plant everything out,they get a sprinkling of BFB around them & mixed into the soil or pot to cover it a bit. Once my tomatoes have trusses of flowers,I see cucumbers,peppers,flower buds on petunias etc anything flower or fruit I feed them tomato feed,used vitax Q4 last year,its quite good. Feed them about once a month. Brussels sprouts,rocket,lettuce,sweetcorn,spinach don't have tomato feed they have high nitrogen for leaves.

[4390evans]

Then when I plant everything out,they get a sprinkling of BFB around them & mixed into the soil or pot to cover

What is bfb?

[Lisasbolt]

Blood fish and bone

[Bigmallly]

I make my own glug with whatever vegetation I have spare, I stinks but is good stuff.

[sparrow100]

I read that as 'vegetarian' BM, made my eyebrows disappear into my hairline...!

I have a fox issue - if I use bonemeal or BFB they will dig big holes. So much as I would rather be fully organic I do use Growmore here and there. But the plot gets barrows of rotted manure, comfrey tea (ooooohhh-weeeee it whiffs) and every bit of plant material I can scavenge.

[vixylix]

useful thread - I fed most things (couldnt tell you my logic for the things I didnt feed!) with tomato feed last year (tomatorite from memory?!) - it may have helped, it may not - I couldnt say for sure!

[Nannysally99]

Tomorite, Growmore and BFB sorted my lot out last year

[Penellype]

I'm lousy at feeding things. I give the permanent plants a good mulch of compost (preferably from the hot bin) at the start of the year and whenever I plant up a pot I add bfb. I give the tomatoes tomorite when I remember, and I give the blueberries some when they flower. I've also started emptying my coffee grounds around things but I haven't been doing it long enough to know if it makes any difference. I keep saying I must feed the potatoes more - maybe this year...

[Philthy]

Soluble nitrogen for overwintered GH pots early to mid spring, switching to balanced general feed during summer, then something potash heavy when fruiting gets underway - tomato feed or Chempak no. 4 usually.
I dig a couple of applications of Growmore around the fruit trees per year - early spring then again early summer - and mulch with own compost.
BFB dug into the veg area at the start of the season. Own compost dug in at the end.

What I am wondering is how to capture the composting juice from the dalek bin I have to make some natural (and free) plant tea.
Any ideas anybody?

[Gillykat]

I didn't do anything last year as it was my first year and the soil had been well tended for years by the previous tenant who grew exhibition leeks. I did feed my tomatoes in the polytunnel on Tomorite (red bottle?) but I must confess not as regularly as I should have

It's very interesting (and informative!) to hear what others do as I thought it was something really complicated But it sounds pretty straightforward and I guess I'll be ok as long as I do my homework first and ask questions on here about anything I'm unsure of

[Bren In Pots]

Over winter I spread the ground with my own compost then the beds get a sprinkle of BFB at the start of the season. Then I feed my plants with nettle for things with leaves and a comfrey feed for anything that fruits. This seems to work for me in my back garden.

[Snadger]

I'm of the opinion that if you keep the soil in good heart, you shouldn't need to feed at all. If I do think certain vegetables aren't performing the way they should I make a mental note to add extra organic matter to that area the following year.
Having said that, and because I bought a box of it at Poundland, I put a bit of BFB around my stuff in the greenhouse beds, along with some Rock Dust, purely because I had some which was turning slowly into rock!

[Bigmallly]

What I am wondering is how to capture the composting juice from the dalek bin I have to make some natural (and free) plant tea.
Any ideas anybody?

Put a few shovel fulls into a Hessian sack & soak in a bin of water for a few weeks. Don't forget to put a lid on it.

[Scoot]

I'm of the opinion that if you keep the soil in good heart, you shouldn't need to feed at all. If I do think certain vegetables aren't performing the way they should I make a mental note to add extra organic matter to that area the following year.
Having said that, and because I bought a box of it at Poundland, I put a bit of BFB around my stuff in the greenhouse beds, along with some Rock Dust, purely because I had some which was turning slowly into rock!

Do poundland sell BFB?

Is there any there now or will it be in nearer springtime? How much do you get for a quid?