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Making your own compost is an effective way to save money and improve your soil
Test your soil for pH. pH is a measure of how acidic or alkaline your soil is and is expressed as a scale from 1 (acidic) to 14 (alkaline). Most vegetables prefer slightly acidic soil with a pH between 6.0 and 7.0. If your soil tests 7.0, it is neutral. If your soil tests less than 7.0, it is acidic and may need an additive, such as ground calcitic limestone, to make it more alkaline. If it tests more than 7.0, it needs an additive, such as powdered elemental sulfur, to make it more acidic. Simple versions of pH tests are available at home improvement stores in the gardening section for $3 to $5. They are made by companies such as Ferry-Morse and are widely available online from companies such as Burpee. - 2
Fresh, delicious vegetables at a farmer's market
Test your soil for the three most important nutrients found in vegetable garden soil: nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K). This is called the NPK ratio, and you'll see it expressed as a set of three numbers separated by dashes on packages of fertilizer and organic soil amendments. You might see phosphorus referred to as "potash" on some packages. The basic test will tell you that your soil is low, moderate, high or very high in these nutrients. If your soil tests very high in nitrogen, you will blend less blood meal into your homemade fertilizer. If it tests very high in phosphorus, use less bone meal. If it is very high in potassium, use less greensand. If your soil is high in all three elements, you don't need to fertilize now. - 3
Composting will reduce landfill waste and provide a cheap, long-term supply of organic fertilizer
Correct your garden's pH. Apply either elemental sulfur for pH less than 5, or ground calcitic limestone for pH more than 7. Limestone is applied at the rate of about 5 lbs. per 100 square feet of garden. Elemental sulfur is applied at about 4 lbs. per 100 square feet of garden. Put on your garden gloves and pour either the limestone or sulfur into the heavy-duty bucket. Take the bucket to your garden and sprinkle its contents by handfuls onto the soil next to plants but not directly on them. This is called "side dressing" your plants. - 4
Homemade fertilizer is easy to make and pays long-term dividends
Put on your gloves and your face mask. Blend your homemade fertilizer by pouring the blood meal, bone meal, greensand, cottonseed meal and Epsom salts into the wheelbarrow or large galvanized tub. Blend with your gloved hands or with the shovel. Carry the fertilizer to your garden by the bucketful or push your wheelbarrow to the plot. - 5
Don't use animal waste as fertilizer unless it has been composted for six months or more
Side-dress your plants by placing handfuls of your homemade fertilizer next to, but not on, the plants. If your plants are very young, you may use a hoe to gently dig the homemade fertilizer into the soil. If you have large well-established plants, you risk damaging roots if you dig the fertilizer in; allow normal watering to carry it to the roots instead.
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