The straw bales that will become my veggie patch for this season are beautifully spongy, speckled with bacterial growth and sprouting the odd mushroom. In other words, they are nearly perfect for planting. I've been monitoring things daily, planning to apply a balanced fertilizer as the final pre-planting input. I was not able to locate 10-10-10 fertilizer, but I did find organically-based fertilizer at a local nursery with an N-P-K mix of 5-10-5, which is a good all-purpose ratio. Today I applied 1/2 cup to each bale and watered in well. Now, all we need is sunshine and warm days.
What does the N-P-K ratio mean?
The three numbers that appear on fertilizer packages (N-P-K) reflect the ratio of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) which are the nutrients plants need in large quantities. Generally we say that nitrogen is for leaves, phosphorus is for roots and potassium is for fruits. A fertilizer for your lawn will have a high nitrogen content – say 20-5-5 – to promote leaf growth. A fertilizer formulated without nitrogen – say 0-10-10 – is meant to promote the setting of flowers and fruits.
When to plant?
This is the million-dollar question, especially in a Zone 2/3 area where spring frosts are a concern. Here were are on the eve of June 1st and they are calling for nighttime temperatures of -2 degrees. Experienced gardeners in my part of Ontario wait until after the first full moon in June to plant tender vegetable starts like tomatoes and squash. According to the Canadian Almanac, the full moon will fall on June 2, just days away.
See that lovely tomato plant in the photo? It's a patio tomato that should produce lots of medium- sized fruit. But I am keeping it indoors tonight! And so, the straw bale experiment continues ...
The three numbers that appear on fertilizer packages (N-P-K) reflect the ratio of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) which are the nutrients plants need in large quantities. Generally we say that nitrogen is for leaves, phosphorus is for roots and potassium is for fruits. A fertilizer for your lawn will have a high nitrogen content – say 20-5-5 – to promote leaf growth. A fertilizer formulated without nitrogen – say 0-10-10 – is meant to promote the setting of flowers and fruits.
When to plant?
This is the million-dollar question, especially in a Zone 2/3 area where spring frosts are a concern. Here were are on the eve of June 1st and they are calling for nighttime temperatures of -2 degrees. Experienced gardeners in my part of Ontario wait until after the first full moon in June to plant tender vegetable starts like tomatoes and squash. According to the Canadian Almanac, the full moon will fall on June 2, just days away.
See that lovely tomato plant in the photo? It's a patio tomato that should produce lots of medium- sized fruit. But I am keeping it indoors tonight! And so, the straw bale experiment continues ...
Did you know ...?
The full moon in June is called the Strawberry Moon.
Are you planting a vegetable garden this year?
Have you planted already? What are you growing? Leave a comment to share your plans.
The full moon in June is called the Strawberry Moon.
Are you planting a vegetable garden this year?
Have you planted already? What are you growing? Leave a comment to share your plans.
