May Gardening tips in the Gila Valley

Although this is the “May” newsletter article, I must confess that it is being written on April 18. I can’t procrastinate my article writings much beyond the middle of the month before it is due to the newsletter editors. Anyway, my point in telling you this is to allow me to “brag” by telling you that I ate the first tomato out of my garden yesterday. It was a delicious cherry tomato. And it looks like I’ll have a few more by the end of the week. Of course it came from a plant I had started in my little greenhouse back at Christmas time. Sorry to “rub-it-in.”

I hope things have been going well in your garden. I had all of my crops planted by the end of April. Most of my plants were started in the greenhouse, then transplanted into the garden. I have been harvesting carrots by the wheelbarrow full, along with broccoli, lettuce, onions, and radishes, and asparagus since the first week of April. Jack Frost cooperated this year and stayed away after the third week of March, however most plants don’t really start growing well until the nighttime temps. stay above 60 degrees. So the last week of April was really when “primetime” arrived for our garden vegetables!

As promised, this month I have some tips for “side-dressing” and adding soil supplements to your garden. We need to begin with an important caution about adding supplements or “fertilizers” to your garden: YOU ARE BETTER OFF TO NOT ADD ANYTHING TO THE GARDEN THAN TO ADD TOO MUCH!

The main time to talk about fertilizing your garden is when preparing your soil for planting. Working organic material into the soil prior to planting is the most important thing you can do to improve the “health” of your garden soil. Adding a little balanced commercial fertilizer to the soil just prior to planting is also not a bad idea. This is where caution comes into play. First, if you want a totally “organic” garden, forget the commercial fertilizer altogether and just rely on compost, composted manure and other organic material to “fertilize” your plants. However, if you choose to use a commercial fertilizer, you want to choose one that has a good balance of nitrogen, phosphate, and potassium, determined by a listing of numbers on the container of fertilizer. The three numbers correspond respectively to these nutrients listed above. A 5-10-10, 6-8-8, or a 10-10-10 fertilizer would meet the definition of a well “balanced” fertilizer for general use in the garden. Broadcasting 3 to 4 pounds of such a fertilizer per 100 square feet of garden would be about the right amount to use.

Most vegetables don’t like a big serving of fertilizer at planting time. They prefer to take their plant food from the soil a little at a time. Once you have planted and your crops are up and well on their way, it is best to use a “side-dressing” procedure if you wish to add a commercial fertilizer. And remember, if you have added a good amount of organic material to the soil prior to planting, it is doubtful any side-dressing is even necessary. When plants begin to blossom, this is the time when it is best to use side-dressing if you have chosen to use this way to give your plants a little boost and thus boost your potential harvest. Adding fertilizer before a plant begins to set blossoms, which signals that the plant has completed it’s growing cycle, can actually delay the plant producing “fruits” for harvest, as it will cause the plant to continue putting all it’s efforts into growing more leaves and roots rather than beginning to concentrate its efforts on producing fruit. Thus this will only potentially delay the start of your harvest.

You don’t have to use commercial fertilizers to use the side-dressing procedure. Here are some substitute equivalents for using organic materials: 1 tablespoon of a complete balanced commercial fertilizer equals: 1) two handfuls of good compost, or 2) 2 handfuls of dehydrated manure/composted manure blend, or 3) 1 to 2 tablespoons of alfalfa meal.

Use a tablespoon or teaspoon to measure your commercial fertilizer when you side-dress. A general rule would be to apply no more than one tablespoon per plant. Here are three ways to side-dress a crop:
1. Circle the Plants. Dig a shallow circular furrow around each plant and sprinkle the fertilizer in evenly around the plant and then cover the fertilizer with soil. Your furrow should be 5 to 6 inches from the plant stem. With large plants, try to locate your furrow directly under the “drip line” of the outer leaves.
2. Band the Plant. Make a straight line furrow 1 to 2 inches deep next to a row of plants. Keep the furrow 5 to 6 inches from the plant stems. Put the fertilizer in the furrow and then cover with soil.
3. Top-Dress. Sprinkle the fertilizer on top of the soil 5 to 6 inches from the plant, then “scratch-in” the fertilizer using a garden tool, then water thoroughly as soon as possible afterward.

Good luck with your garden. Remember that May is just around the corner from a bountiful garden harvest here in the Gila Valley, so you have my permission to start getting anxious for the awesome taste of your first tomato from your own garden