Vegetables Gardening - Growing Organic Vegetables

Newbie here. Forgive me if this topic is common knowledge, but I have found very little info on it. My concern is the filler ingredients in which the NPK is distributed. What are they, and how much do they vary with different brands? Has anyone done an actual analysis? Are some brands more or less objectionable than others? What are the effects of their accumulation in living (as opposed to inert) soil?

Jim Kennard's Response:

Please do not be offended at what I'm about to say, or think that I am trying to be difficult.  These "arguments" are at the heart of the problem between organic enthusiasts and those who actually provide 95% of our food..

 

I will try to give you a satisfactory answer to your question of what the filler materials are and how important that is, but first let's talk about what's in the materials the organic gardener puts in his or her garden:

 

I cannot find an accurate list of the "ingredients" that are in the manure and compost put into an organic garden.  Nor can I find how much of the different ingredients are being applied.

 

Having had many years of experience growing organically myself before I was shown something manifestly better, I do know that the organic grower usually puts at least 2" to 4" of manure or compost (and sometimes MUCH more) into the garden bed - and often the aisles as well - before planting.  To quantify this so that we can understand what we're dealing with, 3" of manure or compost in an 18" X 30' garden bed amounts to somewhere between #200 and #300.

 

"No problem", right?  since the fertilizer salts in that organic material are only about 1% each of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, with smaller %s of other nutrients - or somewhere between 4% 6%.  The foregoing is strictly a guess of course, since no one knows which nutrients are there or in what amounts, but we'll use those as "best guess" estimates.

 

But there IS a problem, because that 1% of several nutrient fertilizer salts amounts to between 8# and 18# of salt in a single soil bed.

 

And that says NOTHING about all the other unknown ingredients in the manure or compost, very often including weed seeds, bugs, and diseases!

 

We ONLY apply ONE POUND of commercial fertilizer in a garden bed of 18" X 30', and that fertilizer includes only SEVEN OUNCES of fertilizer salts.  And even though we apply that 1# of fertilizer several times during the growing season we apply much LESS SALT to the garden than does the organic grower, and it is applied DURING the growing season AS the plants need it.

 

Now, as to the original question, The simple sulfuric acid bath ground-up rocks are put through to become commercial fertilizer CLEANS and CONCENTRATES the essential nutrients, and REMOVES heavy metals and unwanted by-products.  Understand that the folks who provide this material are under careful scrutiny and answerable to the governments, the growers who supply our food, and to us.  Meanwhile, who tests, inspects, and ensures that manure and compost, etc. are clean, weed, bug, and disease-free and fit to put on your garden?  Sorry, nobody does.

 

So, the short answer is - the AMOUNT of filler material is VERY small, and it is FAR LESS likely to be a problem for your soil than the organic materials being applied to gardens.

 

Jim Kennard

 

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