Note: This post was updated as of Spring 2024.
This message is for City of Seattle P-Patch gardeners
Based on hundreds of soil tests we’ve received over the years, we’ve custom-blended a fertilizer specifically for P-Patch gardening in the Seattle area. Specific details can be found on this year’s blog post.
We also recommend you keep a supply of our Organic Garden Blend 6-2-5 organic fertilizer for your plots for all the gardeners to share.
The P-Patch office asked us to provide some recommendations for using this product at the gardens. Here is how we typically use this organic fertilizer:
In the early Spring, we spread the fertilizer, compost, and lime (if needed based on a pH test) over freshly weeded areas (specifically where I am planning to plant and around existing plantings). In general, be judicious with your applications. Don’t waste it on fertilizing a section of your plot that won’t be planted for months. And keep in mind that everyone should get some for their patch.
Apply the fertilizer at approximately two pounds (or six cups) per 100 square feet.
In cases where you are sure the soil is in poor condition (say at a brand new Ppatch with poor soil, I would increase the application to four pounds (or twelve cups) per 100 square feet). However, in many PPatches, (like Picardo) the soil has been amended with TLC over the years and should only require the lower application rate.
Then we turn over the soil with a garden fork or spade shovel, simultaneously chopping the fertilizer and compost into the clumps of soil…with extra care near existing over-wintered plantings to minimize damage to the root systems.
You could then wait two or three weeks before planting (although, we will routinely plant immediately following the above-mentioned procedure).
Side-dress the fertilizer around existing plantings.
Then, we water the area… unless it’s a rainy day/week.
Label information can be found here: Organic Garden Blend 6-2-5.
Happy Gardening,
Walt and Co.
PS Mycorrhizae fungi and lots of individual amendments for more plant/growth-specific needs can be found at our shop in Ballard… and depending on your needs, we have a small number of retail outlets in North Seattle that carry a selection of our product line.
I would like the formula for making my own organic fertilizer, if possible.
Hi Glen,
While we don’t publish our recipes, I am happy to offer some general guidance for blending your own fertilizer. Since you added this question to our blog focusing on fertilizing your P-Patch, I will guess you are interested in fertilizing your veggies.
You will want to base your DIY organic fertilizer with natural ingredients focused on nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium.
Our P-Patch Blend uses a heavy base of organic soybean meal supplemented with smaller amounts of sulfate of potash (for potassium and sulfur) and soft rock phosphate (for phosphorous). We also add a little soluble seaweed extract for naturally occurring plant growth hormones and also add a recommended dose of mychorrizal fungi. We do not add lime to our blend as the need for lime will vary from soil to soil. So, we recommend you get a soil test prior to liming. But, it is generally safe to lime annually at a rate of 5 pounds per 100 sf.
Steve Solomon publishes a recipe that is widely available. So, you might want to look into that for a specific recipe.
Please remember that the goal for organic garden soil care is to improve overall soil fertility…soil health…more than adding any particular nutrient.
Happy Gardening!
Walt