Issue 02

The Garden Journal

Four seasonal issues · Practical science
Clark J. Madsen
Working the garden

Issue 02 · What Feeds the Rows

Fertility is a conversation with last year’s crop.

N-P-K labels, manure math, and organic tools that earn their keep.

In this issue

“It is just not practical for larger farms to haul thousands of tons of manure alone.”

Fertilizers

N-P-K at a glance

The three macronutrients every fertilizer conversation returns to.

N P K Foliage & chlorophyll Roots, bloom, fruit Stress & storage Relative emphasis in a productive vegetable garden
Example: a 25 lb bag of 16-16-0 holds about 4 lb nitrogen, 4 lb phosphate, and 0 lb potassium — the rest is filler that softens burn risk.

Nitrogen by manure source

Approximate total nitrogen by weight — poultry vs bovine (from the manure essay).

Poultry
0.9%
Bovine
0.5%
Total N (weight %) Poultry 0.9% Bovine 0.5%
Poultry manure carries more urea with the feces; bovine urine is excreted separately, so finished bovine manure runs lower in N.

Source material drawn from MD Hub Knowledge Base Garden (id 64). Magazine presentation for The Garden Journal.