Plants need a lot of nutrients for their healthy growth and thriving. Of course, this applies to vegetables in particular, which should produce plenty of delicious leaves, tubers and fruits. If you cannot get enough nutrients from the soil, the plants will remain small, the leaves will turn yellow and the harvest will be poor. Balanced fertilization is therefore immensely important for a rich harvest.
How much fertilizer the raised bed needs depends on the plants on it
Proper fertilization in the compost raised bed
A well-layered compost raised bed is packed to the brim with a variety of nutrients, so additional fertilizing can be kept to a minimum. However, this only applies if you plant the vegetables according to their nutritional requirements. In the first year, we recommend planting heavy feeders such as tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, courgettes, pumpkins, cabbage, celery or potatoes, as this is when a lot of nutrients are released. Heavy feeders can also be planted more often in the second year, but then they often need additional organic fertilization. Working in a few handfuls of horn shavings (32.93€) (approx. 100 grams per square meter) and patent potash (approx. 20 grams per square meter) is sufficient for this in the spring. Since the nutrient supply decreases over the course of the period of use, you finally plant medium consumers in the second or at the latest in the third year and weak consumers in the third to fourth year. Annual fertilization with horn shavings (€32.93) and patent potash is also recommended here, but in smaller doses.
How to fertilize in a raised bed
If, on the other hand, you do not layer the raised bed, but instead fill it with fresh soil every year, you must fertilize it regularly with a liquid complete fertilizer. Since most potting soils are pre-fertilized, start with the nutrient supply about four to six weeks after planting. After that, give liquid fertilizer every one to three weeks, depending on the nutritional needs. If possible, use special plant fertilizers (e.g. tomato or herb fertilizer). The dosage recommendations for commercially available all-round vegetable fertilizers (7.49€) usually refer to heavy consumers, which is why you have to reduce the dose accordingly for medium and weak consumers. Medium consumers receive only two thirds, weak consumers one third of the recommended dose.
Mulch instead of fertilizing
Weekly mulching not only ensures that the constant loss of substrate in the raised bed is compensated - you also provide your plants with additional nutrients and can thus save on frequent watering and fertilizing. In the case of medium and low eaters, mulching with lawn clippings, chopped plant parts or compost even makes fertilizing completely superfluous. The more nitrogenous the mulch material is, the better the soil is fertilized with it. The smaller the material is cut, the faster it will degrade.
tips
Plant manure that you have prepared yourself, for example from stinging nettle or phacelia (bee friend), is also ideal for liquid fertilization in raised beds.