Fertilize vegetables: Learn how to use livestock manure, compost, horn meal and vegan fertilizers correctly

Sowing or preferring selected, high-quality vegetables is just one thing. In order to enjoy a rich harvest with large, juicy fruits, you must of course also supply the plants with nutrients at the right times. Only if you fertilize vegetables correctly will the plants have the strength they need to produce perfect fruit. Choosing the right fertilizer can be a bit difficult because every plant needs different amounts of nutrients. We'll try to give you an overview of how and with what to fertilize your vegetables so that you really do everything right this season.

What to fertilize vegetables with?

It is important to know that vegetable plants are not happy with just any type of fertilizer. More precisely, it is the composition that turns out to be problematic. For example, organic fertilizer, which is preferred by many, is nutrient-rich and perfect for vegetable plants, but it must first be broken down in the soil before the plants are able to absorb the nutrients or mineral salts. This takes a certain amount of time and for this reason this type of fertilizer must be incorporated into the soil in good time or in advance for the coming weeks.

In contrast, mineral fertilizer can be absorbed directly. This is very practical if you have forgotten to fertilize the soil for vegetables before planting, i.e. prepare the garden soil. But it also carries a risk: precisely because it can be absorbed so quickly and easily, you can quickly unintentionally over-fertilize the young plants. In addition, mineral fertilizer is not considered very environmentally friendly. So you should think in good time about how you want to fertilize your vegetables and when.

In summary it can be said that:

  • Organic fertilizers are less concentrated, but are decomposed over a longer period of time and therefore have a longer effect.
  • Mineral fertilizers are more concentrated and work immediately, but can lead to over-fertilization.

It is recommended every three to four yearsAnalyze soilallow. This means you always know exactly which nutrients should be fed to it and which ones are available in sufficient quantities so as not to risk a nutrient deficiency or over-fertilization.

Fertilize vegetables with horse manure

Not only horse manure, but livestock manure in general is one of the best fertilizers. It doesn't matter whether you fertilize the vegetableswith horse manure, cow dung or that of other farm animals: dried dung is recommended.

Have you ever heard of the so-called guano? This is seabird droppings that are ideal for vegetable plants. However, if you want to fertilize your vegetables with guano, you should use fresh feces, unlike livestock manure. The dried one secretes dust, which has a corrosive effect on the skin.

Horn shavings are a good fertilizer

Horn shavings, horn meal, horn semolina - they are all basically the same thing, only the size of the particles is different. And depending on how strongly it is ground, the slower or faster horn fertilizer decomposes. This is how they are suitablefor soil preparationthe chips very good. If you would like to fertilize your vegetables with horn shavings, simply mix it into the compost and then work the whole thing into the soil.

As soon as it is time to fertilize, you can then use the finer flour. Heavy eaters, for example, benefit from this from June onwards. However, if you want to fertilize medium-consuming vegetables with horn meal, the summer season is sufficient. This means they don't need the extra addition to the compost at the start of the spring season.

Horn fertilizer is made from the claws and horns of animals and provides your plants with a good amount of nitrogen, but is less suitable for weak eaters.

Nourish the vegetable plants with compost

Many hobby gardenersalready have a compost heapand diligently use the compost obtained for fertilization. However, you should know that you should incorporate this in autumn or at the latest in spring when you prepare the beds. Compost is only dug superficially into the soil. This means that the microorganisms still have enough time to decompose the substances before planting so that the nutrients can be absorbed immediately as soon as the plants are in the bed. How much do the vegetable plants need?

  • Heavy and medium feeders (e.g. tomatoes or cabbage): 6 to 10 liters per square meter
  • Low-eaters (e.g. carrots or peas): 3 to 5 liters per square meter, i.e. half

Intercropping with green manure plants also offers an advantage. They supply the other plants with nitrogen. Forweak-consuming vegetable plantsIn fact, the amount is so sufficient that the initial addition of compost can be dispensed with.

Are there vegan fertilizers?

Veganism is trendy, but if you thought it only started with your diet, you were wrong. Because some vegans also value the fact that the vegetables have already been produced in a vegan way. What exactly is meant? Only plant-based fertilizers should be used. Horn meal and shavings, which are produced as waste during slaughter, as well as livestock manure are therefore taboo. In itself, vegan fertilization is not a problem. However, since herbal products also contain nutrients in lower concentrations, you have to fertilize your vegetables more often and in larger quantities.

Is well suiteda homemade nettle manure, but also the so-called green manure plants, which, as already mentioned, are grown in the form of an intercrop, are also possible. These crops include red clover and lupins. Compost is vegan if you have not used any animal waste products such as eggshells. Otherwise, special vegan fertilizers are already available to buy in stores.