Preparing for the Gardening Season
Hey everyone, this is me here. I hope you’re all doing well. I’m also doing fine and I’m sure you’re all preparing yourself for the 2025 gardening season. It’s winter here now in North Carolina and we are getting ready for spring . We are preparing our beds and our garden for this season. I want to share some experience with you today.
Using Espoma Organic Garden Tone
This year, I’m going to use Espoma Organic Garden Tone. This is a good fertilizer that I used last year, but I made a mistake. I applied this fertilizer directly to the plant’s root, and unfortunately, my pepper plants and some tomato plants, pretty much those I put directly in the root, all died within a few days.
Learning from Mistakes
To give you an example of what happened, the root got decayed, and eventually, the plant broke apart. That was a severe mistake. I was excited for the plants to have good fertilizer, but this is not the way I should do it. This year, I’m going to show you how to use this Espoma Organic Garden Tone plant food, especially for herb and vegetable food.
Proper Application of Fertilizer
According to their instructions, for a 50 square feet bed, we should use nine cups, which means three pounds of fertilizer. We need to mix it with the top four to six inches of soil along with compost, peat moss, and whatever raised bed soil you use. Mix it up well for a 50 square feet area.
Adjusting for Smaller Garden Spaces
I do not have a 50 square feet bed this year. I’m going to do compact gardening. Last year, I did gardening pretty much everywhere I had tomatoes, eggplants, okra all over the place. This year, I’m going to use less space because last year I wasted too much water. So, I’m using only one bed that is four feet by ten feet.
Calculating the Amount of Fertilizer Needed
For 50 square feet, we need nine cups, so for my 40 square feet, I’m going to use around seven and a half to eight cups. I’ll take each cup of fertilizer and spread it all over the bed, then mix it up well.
Importance of Mixing Fertilizer Properly
Based on my previous experience, it needs to be well mixed because this fertilizer is basically salt. If it’s not well mixed, your plants’ roots will decay. After mixing, put some water and let it sit for three to four days to allow the salt to dilute, making it good for plants.
Safety Precautions
When you use Espoma Organic Garden Tone, make sure you use gloves. The smell is kind of weird and it’s not good for your hands to touch it bare-handed. Using gloves will keep your skin safe.
Application and Mixing Process
I’ll take a cup, and as I said, I’ll use a maximum of eight cups for my 40 square feet area. I’ll spread it all over the area and mix it thoroughly. Once it is well mixed, I’ll spray some water to dissolve the fertilizer. After two days, I’ll start planting seeds or using ready-made plants from Home Depot or Walmart.
Conclusion
This is a good fertilizer, but you have to be careful using it. Last year, I destroyed my plants by using it directly on their roots. I hope you enjoy this blogpost. This is the 2025 season and I will come back with many other blogposts as I prepare myself for this gardening season. I’ll share my experiences with you. I hope you all have a good gardening season this year. Have a good day!
