Garden Growth Slowed? Try an organic solution.

[Rachel Butler]

What a beautiful Spring my friends! We have had some incredible weather in the Central Texas Region. It was a little chilly so I was late in putting in some of the veggies I would have started in late February, early March. My stuff just sprung to life and has grown like gangbusters!! Some of my friends have begun to comment that the growth in the garden has slowed. This can be concerning, especially after seeing the massive growth right after a seedling establishes itself. First, be gentle with yourself and your garden. Most gardens will have a problem or two from time to time. One year it may be insects and disease and the next year it may be a drought. Gardening does require a little bit of work, but trust me you can make your vegetable gardening experience a pleasant one!

Below are some organic options for soil amendments and fertilizer. In Austin, I recommend taking a trip out to the Natural Gardener.

Courtesy of the TEXAS ORGANIC RESEARCH CENTER (TORC) November 2010
In general, toxic synthetic pesticides are specifically prohibited, i.e., neurotoxins including all carbamates, organophosphates, pyrethroids, organochlorines and all products containing piperonyl butoxide
(PBO). Certain toxic organic pesticides such as pyrethrum are also excluded.

Acceptable Organic Soil Amendments and Fertilizer Products

Alpha Bio Systems Products
New
Plant THRIVE with Mycorrhizal Fungi
Vegetable THRIVE with Mycorrhizal Fungi
Tomato THRIVE with Mycorrhizal Fungi
Flower THRIVE with Mycorrhizal Fungi
Tree & Shrub THRIVE with Mycorrhizal Fungi
Turf THRIVE with Mycorrhizal Fungi
Compost THRIVE
Thatch Remover

Bioform Products

Black Kow Products

Coffee grounds
Compost
Compost tea
Corn gluten meal (60% protein or 9-0-0
analysis)
Cornmeal products
Cottonseed meal
Diatomaceous earth (natural)
Dry molasses
Earthworm castings
Fish hydrolysate and fish meal
Garrett Juice
Garrett Juice Plus

Carl Pool Products
Premium Lawn Food
Seaweed Extract
Bedding Plants
Feathermeal
2-0-2 Alfalfa Meal
10-5-0 Fish Meal

Erath Earth Products

Garden-Ville Products (except those containing urea and/or biosolids)
Garrett Juice
Granite
Greensand

GreenSense Products

Hu-More Products

Humates
Humic acid products

Ladybug Products
Dry Products
Lady Bug Natural Brand Fertilizer
Sylvan Formula
Liquid Products
John's Recipe Liquid Fertilizer
Terra Tonic

Lava sand

Maestro Gro Products
Garden Glo NaturalONE Sea Mist Super Seaweed Plus
Rose Glo
SourceONE
Sea Spray
Texas Tee

Maxicrop Products

Cactus & Succulent Fertilizer
Cal-Sea-Feed
Citrus Fertilizer
Complete Garden Feed
Flower Fertilizer
Original Seaweed Extract
‘Take Root'
Tomato Fertilizer

Medina Products
Dry Products
Medina Growin Green Organic Granular Fertilizer
Medina Micronutrients
Medina Plus
Liquid Products
Garrett Juice
HuMate Liquid Humus

Microlife Products
Microlife
Microlife ‘Ultimate’
Microlife + Brown Patch Control
Super Seaweed
Ocean Harvest

Molasses (dry)
Molasses (liquid)
Mycorrhizal fungi projects
Native cedar products

Nature’s Guide Products (except
those containing urea or pyrethrum)
Fertilizer
Fertilizer
Garrett Juice
Liquid Fish
Liquid Fish & Seaweed

Neptune's Harvest Products
Fish
Seaweed Plant
Organic Fish/Seaweed Blend Fertilizer

Organic Gem Products
Shake and Spray Liquid Fish
Special Turf Control Liquid Fish
Organic Kelp Meal 1-0-2
Organic Crab Shell 2-3-0

Rabbit Hill Farm Products
Azalea Food 3-5-2
Kelp Meal 2-0-5
Organic 6-8-4 Pansy Food
Rabbit Manure
Rose Food
Tomato & Pepper Food

Redenta’s Products

Seaweed Products

Soil Mender Products
Garrett Juice Plus
Minerals Plus
Humax Turf Soil Builder
Planters II
Rose Food
Soil Mender Turf Mate
Tree and Shrub Mix
Turf-Mate
Yum Yum Mix

Sustane Products
2-3-3 All Natural Organic
3-4-2 All Natural Organic
4-6-4 All Natural Organic
5-2-4 All Natural Organic
8-2-4 All Natural Organic

Greensand
Vinegar (apple cider and other fruit-based products)
Volcanite
Wheat bran products
Zeolite



Basic Meals, General Fertilizers and Soil Amendments
Alfalfa
Meal
Bat guano
Blood meal
Bone meal
Coffee grounds
Compost
Corn gluten meal
Corn meal
Cottonseed meal
Decomposed granite
Fish meal
Greensand
Gypsum
Horticultural corn meal
Humate
Kelp meal lava sand
Rabbit manure
Rock phosphate
Seaweed meal
Soy meal
Sul-Po-Mag
Zeolite



Liquid Products
Apple
cider vinegar
Compost tea
Fish hydrolysate (Liquid fish)
Garrett Juice mix
Humic acid
Seaweed

TORC used allow “bridge” or “transition” products that contain synthetic ingredients but no longer believe that is acceptable for organic programs. They are certainly better than pure synthetic products. Some garden centers have their own private label products. Most of those are
very good but be sure to read labels and ask questions.

Please post any reviews of these products or any other recommendations! Good Luck and Happy Gardening!

PS! Don't forget the Potluck at Barr Mansion on May 11th!

LOVE - Rache

[Archer B. May]

I spend most of my Natural Gardner budget on their bulk soils. I mixed revitalizer, farm compost and turkey manure for the vast majority of my tomatoes. Next year, I think I'll skip the farm compost and just go revitalizer and turkey at 50-50.

This year, I'm making my own compost with leaves, horse manure, grass clippings and coffee grounds with filters. I know it's a log of greens, but I plan on mixing it in with the "Christmas Tree" compost/mulch I picked up from the Christmas tree recycling program at January at Zilker Park and all the "Craigslist" leaves that currently are on the beds.

I look forward to testing my home made mix against the stuff I can get NG just to see how I'm doing. I'm sure it won't compare, but the price sure is better. You can't be free!

[Elliot Jackson]

This list is awesome, Rache... thanks for sharing! I will say, for those that are overwhelmed by the list and need a recommendation, that John's Recipe is the shiznit. I make it myself using the recipe on the Natural Gardener site , http://www.naturalgardeneraustin.com/information/recipes/Johnsrecip..., but that's only because we already had 2 of the 4 ingredients and because I wanted to pre-treat the garden with Medina Soil Activator on its own first, which really kicked the garden into gear before I turned it up to 11 with the other stuff mixed in. In all though, it's much easier to buy the pre-mixed stuff and you'll still get the benefit of the soil activator, which is probiotic and basically "yogurt for the soil".

[Sharabella Fini]

Thank you; great handy list.

[Bill Norton]

Thanks for posting Rachel - I have a SLOW garden now - about to kick it in the butt

[Laird Bishop]

Thank you - very useful!