Organic fertilizer is a key component of any vegetable garden, and today we are going to explore a specialized recipe for an organic fertilizer that is totally vegan.
Read MoreEncyclopedia Botanica Podcast, Episode 34: Phosphorus and Potassium
Welcome to part 2 of our 2-part series on organic fertilizer! In the first part of the series, we talked about Nitrogen as an essential nutrient for healthy plant growth. This week we're talking about Phosphorus and Potassium.
Read MoreEncyclopedia Botanica Podcast, Episode 33: Nitrogen
Over the next two episodes we will break down NPK, the acronym used to classify plant fertilizers. NPK stands for nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. The letters used to represent each of these 3 nutrients are their symbols on the periodic table of elements. This week we will focus on Nitrogen, and next week we'll talk in depth about Phosphorus and Potassium. So, welcome to our 2-part series on organic fertilizer!
Read MoreLessons from the Farm: Making Friends With Your Weeds
All photos by Hilary Dahl
Weeds can be a good thing. It's seems a little counter intuitive as a gardener/farmer to say, but in a lot of ways they really are. Over the past year I started working on our certified organic Urban Fringe Farm in Woodinville. I thought it would be interesting to bring the farm experience back to the backyard by sharing some of what I've learned. The weeds on our farm have been nothing short of challenging to tame, but as I began to study the enemy, I started to realize they are just the opposite of an enemy.
Read MoreCurbing Blossom End Rot
A healthy Calliope eggplant puts on new fruit after blossom end rot damaged fruit were removed.
Blossom end rot can be an incredibly frustrating challenge for any vegetable gardener. There is something particularly upsetting about watching a perfectly healthy-looking plant produce damaged and rotten fruits! Fortunately, blossom end rot can be avoided and, once in process can often be overcome.
Read MoreOrganic Fertilizer Break Down Part Three: Greensand
The next stop on our path towards total fertilizer enlightenment is the wonderful world of Greensand. As we learned in part one of our series, all fertilizers are rated by their NPK ratio, which indicates the percentage of Nitrogen-Phosphorous-Potassium in the product. Greensand (0-0-3) is a great source of Potassium and works as a component of a fertilizer mix and as a stand-alone soil amendment.
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