How much fertilizer for Raised Bed Garden

Guilt Trip · #1 07/31/09, 02:51 PM

Given 8lbs of 8-8-8 per 100' of Row ?

OK, I have raised beds 4' x 16' x 12" high, good horse poo/chips and a oak leaf mix, How much 8-8-8 fertilizer do I need for each bed? if 8lbs will do a 100' row,
Should I consider the 4' wide beds as one row wide ?. Should it be two rows wide ? or even 1 1/2 row wide? The Raised bed is 4x16 = 32 Square Foot. Guilt Trip

1 row @ 4' wide x 16' = 16 sf.= 1 1/4lbs ? . 2 rows @ 2' wide 16 = 32lf = 2.1/2 lbs . 1 1/2 row = 24' = 1.9 or 2lbs ? for each raised bed. Thanks Guilt Trip

Cheryl in SD · #2 07/31/09, 05:29 PM

I wouldn't put any in. But that's just me.

Are you going to plant rows or will you plant beds? I fill my beds from side to side.

Cheryl in SD · #3 07/31/09, 05:31 PM

Just re-read your post. You want to know how your beds correspond to an average row. I can put 3 rows of corn in a 40" bed, so I would think it would be 3 rows wide.

Paquebot · #4 07/31/09, 05:51 PM

Your 4x16 wide bed is 64 square feet, not 32. Normal application of 8-8-8 would be 1.75 pounds per 50 square feet. Add another .5 for the other 14 and you come up with 2.25 pounds per bed. Broadcast it and till it in rather than concentrating it within rows. The row instructions are for ground which has already been tilled but not fertilized.

Martin

Callieslamb · #5 08/01/09, 08:29 PM

ARe you going by instructions from a soil test or from the fertilizer package....I always go by the soil test.

Paquebot · #6 08/01/09, 09:00 PM

That is normal application for a new garden with a basic untested soil or an established garden where previous crops may have removed any excess units of N, P, or K. Soil tests are helpful except that there is only perhaps a 1 in 20 chance that a person can find a pre-packaged formula to match it. Thus a 1-1-1 ratio is always suitable and one can then side dress or add more of N, P, or K if a particular crop needs it.

Martin