On Tue, 22 Jul 2003 18:49:29 +0000 (UTC), bnd777 wrote:

Do not ignore the compost option though because although granular
fertilisers do indeed work for a while nothing beats getting the soil
structure right and only good compost will do that

That's absolutely true, but there is no guarantee that compost
will supply the atoms of N, P, and K that are essential for plant
growth. The advantage to such fertilizers is that you know they
have the major nutrients and you know how much they have --
usually in some reasonably balanced formulation.

Compost and fertilizer are complementary, not in opposition.
Compost improves tilth, water retention, feeds microbial life in
the soil, and may suppress weeds. General purpose fertilizers
provide major chemical nutrients that plants must have for
healthy growth.

In addition, general purpose fertilizer stimulates growth of
roots as well as above-ground organs. It seems to me that it
can't but help increase the amount of organic matter in the soil
as roots senesce and decay, and thus indirectly provides the
benefits of compost. Moreover, the more abundant top growth
provides greater supplies of material for compost proper -- if
the OP, with her small walled garden, has room for a compost bin.


--
Rodger Whitlock
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada