How to create my own organic fertilizer

[bombcat]

OK, I guess I am in the right path.

Thank you all! I know it is not easy work, specially in the beginning, but it should improve overtime. But I don't want to break the bank to get there. I did work out my formula and after doing the math, I think I can get the fertilizer price in 1/2. But I have to come up the cash now to get all the fertilizers.... I will see maybe I can try next year.

I can say first 2 years (2011 - 2012), we have to buy veggies during the summer months, last 2 years, we were able to eat what we have from our garden from June - Oct without buying veggies, and give some to our friends and neighbors. This year, we want to improve what we harvest like size and taste of the harvest because we ran out space to expand!

A bit more information on what we grow so you might know why we are breaking the bank buying fertilizers. My wife (as you can see, it's my wife, not me ) actually planted so much veggies and fruits, I think she is addicted to planting and starting seeds, she wants to grow everything she can...

What we have in our garden (our neighbor call us farmers ),
Veggies List
Sweat pea, radish, bean, EDITED - PLEASE REPORT THIS POST, tomato, lettuce, eggplant, hot pepper, pumpkin, squash, bitter melon, okra, Chinese okra, winter melon, water melon (my idea), 58 asparagus crown (my idea, planted in 2014, got 2 lbs from it in 2015) and some plants I don't even know what they are called ......

Fruits tree - they are all young trees when we got them
Strawberries planted in 2013 - have good harvest
blue berry planted in 2011 - have good harvest
black berry planted in 2012 - have good harvest
mulberry - have good harvest
fig planted in 2012 - figs keeps dying back during winter time, so it gives some fruits, not much
cherry planted in 2013 - 8 cherries from 1 tree
apple planted in 2012 - 8 apples from 2 trees
pear planted in 2013 - have good harvest
grape planted in 2012 - lots of fruits, but the wasp ate them all....

But I can tell you, if it wasn't for my crazy wife , I wouldn't know how good a vine ripe tomato tasted.

Too much information.

[CharlieBear]

I have never recommended to someone that they fertilize a fruit tree that often. If a tree is fertilized too much it will result in lots of leaves and hardly any fruit. Depending on the tree and how it is behaving you may not need to fertilize it at all that year. Be careful with how much you fertilize a persimmon. As an over simplification, if you find that your tree needs much more pruning that the past year, don't add fertilizer that year. Grapes are best fertilized in the fall the same way as cane berries. I have never recommended that anyone fertilize a fig, which is really a herb. Be very careful about the blueberries, you would probably be just as well off to put sulfur around the blueberries 2-3 times a growing season and far better than using the wrong kind of fertilizer. The best advice on blueberries is hydration they need more water than most people think and well into the fall except during a rainy spell. They do most of their growing in late summer and early fall. If your soil is that heavy a clay, here is another alternative. Look up sheet mulching also called several other things. In the fall, "stack" up the various layers of things you can get your hands on off the list of common items. Let it rot until spring. Then just plant in it. Everything except maybe tomatoes will do well. Then like it more composted so they will still need fertilizer, probably peppers and some winter squash. After than growing season, spade, till etc it in the fall. It is a very old trick, my grandfather might have used. I am still wondering if you might not be over fertilizing. The problem sounds more like limited organic matter in the soil. Under those conditions clay holds water too well and in such small spaces that it is more difficult for plants to retrieve and since it doesn't drain well may kill some plants. I hope you have compost bins, that would help you as well. If you have willing neighbors, you might gather up leaves, spent hay, even vegetable peels, untreated grass without too many weeds, etc. If you build the bins and put the word out, you might be surprised at how much you can find to use to make your own compost. One of the biggest reason that people build box gardens, when they have room to garden without them is clay soil. If you fill them right they drain well, have organic matter and you just start with the 1-2" of good grade compost a year. In short, the best way to save money is don't use more fertilizer than you really need and compost.

[bombcat]

CharlieBear, Thank you! I will keep an eye on the trees to see if it has any of the symptom you mentioned. If I see it, I will stop fertilizing them.