Organic gardening is the right choice for everyone!

Gardening organically takes more than just soil, water, and a plant. There is a whole universe under our feet! In a single teaspoon of soil, there are millions of beneficial soil microbes that all carry a different job within a community known as the "Soil Food Web." Step away from harmful, conventional fertilizer and grow a more sustainable garden and more delicious foods!

 

Healthy soils, as in the words of Jeff Lowenfels, are “teaming with microbes.” However, the key operative word is healthy. Healthy soils require certain components and capacities such as a source of nutrients (organic matter), cation exchange capabilities, an aggregate structure for roots to penetrate, and most importantly, host plants that can support this background of billions of microbes. 

 

Synthetic and conventional fertilizers are actually very harmful to soil life because they are salt-based nutrients. When using synthetic fertilizers over time, your soil will become stripped of its living biology and its ability to retain nutrients and moisture. You will find yourself needing to increase the overall number of fertilizer applications a plant will need to grow sufficiently in poor soil.

 

Using organic fertilizers can help re-establish a "Soil Food Web" and create an environment that can sustain prosperous plant growth with tastier and more nutritious crops at a fraction of the cost to your wallet and to the environment!

 

What is organic fertilizer?

Organic fertilizers are plant nutrients that are made of organic, naturally occurring plant and animal materials, free of any synthetic chemicals that could be harmful soil life. Organic fertilizers supply the soil of organic matter that is then processed by microbes, these microbes help break those nutrients down into simpler forms in which other microbes can consume and plants to absorb.  

 

The more organic matter available in your soil, the more beneficial biology will be presently working for your garden. The more life your soil has, the better the plant growth, better tasting, and enhanced immunity towards environmental stresses and pathogens. Organics also naturally increases the soil texture for better growing environments. 

 

What should I look for in an organic fertilizer?

There are many types of organic fertilizers that focus on different plant varieties and plant phases. The three numbers you will find on the front of any fertilizer is N-P-K. Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium are the three very important nutrients for plant and crop growth. Nitrogen for leaf and stem growth, phosphorus helps produce better roots for more abundant blooms and a bigger harvest, and potassium helps overall plant health.

 

Our Old Truck Organics fertilizers go above and beyond just adding your minimal N-P-K. We start with premium 100% organic ingredients and then add a significant amount of soil microbes! 25% of the entire contents is MYKOS mycorrhizal fungi, a super soil microbe that helps plants work more efficiently at absorbing nutrients and moisture. Most other organic fertilizers only offer a pinch of soil biology where we add it by the handfuls!

 

We go further to ensure your plants lock in a stronger root system and have the necessary building blocks to produce larger crop yields. By adding calcium, magnesium, sulfur, and source minerals to the overall formulation for a well-balanced diet. We assure you that there are no cheap manures in our bags!

 

Even further, we also add kelp, humic acid, and earthworm castings. These ingredients will help condition your soil, boost microbial diversity and overall populations around the plant's roots to help unlock even more nutrients and create a thriving living soil!

 

When do you need to fertilize your garden?

You should apply fertilizer when you first plant by amending into the soil and into your transplant hole, then again halfway through the season. For optimal results, it is best to read the directions on the bag for the fertilizer you are using.  The frequency of fertilization depends on the season and the type of plants you are growing, which is why most fertilizers are specific to different plant varieties.

 

Compost tea is a great way to rejuvenate your soil with more living biology! Compost tea is a microbial solution that you "brew" at home. All you need is 3-5 gallons of water in a bucket and Old Truck Organics Compost Tea brew kit! Feeding compost tea to your garden can help unlock more nutrients for your garden! Experience vigorous plant growth unlike before. This takes organic gardening and supercharges the soil around the roots of your plants with additional living biology. You can not over-apply compost tea to your garden, so by using it weekly, you can really experience some significant plant performance! 

 

Enjoy the fruits of your hard work!  Happy gardening!