
July is the perfect time to give your garden a mid-season boost! Many slow release fertilizers (such as those found in potting soil) last about three months. If you planted things back April, your plants are hungry! Whether you're growing cut flowers, vegetables, bedding plants, or container gardening your plants will appreciate a boost of nutrients right about now. I'm often ask me what fertilizer I recommend, so I'm going to take this email to go over a few options with you.
Organic Options
My go-to fertilizer and a great organic option is called Neptune's Harvest Fish and Seaweed Emulsion. It's gentle enough to use weekly, plants absolutely love it, it feeds the soil in a way that synthetic fertilizers don't (healthy soil = healthy plants), and as a byproduct of the fishing industry it's a fully sustainable product. Oh, and did I mention deer hate the smell? The only plants I don't use this on are houseplants due to the smell (which DOES subside within 24 hours - I promise)!

Another organic product that was new to me last season but that I have quickly come to love is Epsoma Chicken Manure. It can be worked into the soil around the drip line of your plants about once a month during the growing season. Again, it can be a little smelly but that smell helps to deter deer! In addition, the smell subsides quickly as the product dissolves over the coming days. I like to apply it right before it rains to help water it in.Â

Miracle Gro Tomato is my go-to non organic option to give my vegetable garden (tomatoes and other veggies alike) a big boost. It's a synthetic fertilizer so it doesn't nourish the soil like the organic options above, but it does offer quick results. It's a stronger fertilizer than the options listed above so even though the box says it can be used every 7-14 days, I would apply every 3 weeks (unless your plants are really struggling).Â

For bedding and potted plants I've been using Miracle Gro LiquaFeed Bloom Booster for years. Again, it's a stronger fertilizer than the organic options so I prefer to only use it every 3-4 weeks or so. It's a liquid fertilizer (also comes in water soluble granules for use in a watering can) so plants respond very quickly to it. In times of drought and intense heat like we've experienced this summer, it's been a real help in keeping my flowers blooming.

A word of caution - it's easy to overfertilize plants, especially with synthetic fertilizers. Go easy on them, remembering that you can always add more but your can't take it away. Overfertilized plants are more prone to pests and disease, and overfertilization can cause lots of leafy growth but no/few blooms or vegetables.
You really can't go wrong with any of these options, but if you have a questions about anything fertilizer-related, feel free to reach out to me! I would love to help!Â
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