Giving crops an extra boost of fertilizer is called side dressing. Good side-dressing helps crops grow evenly and smoothly and helps deliver better harvests.
If you have amended your soil with organic matter as I advised throughout my Vegetable culture pages, and grow green manure corps like peas, beans, vetch and buckwheat, chances are your soil is rich in nutrients. As long as you add a little fertilizer to the soil before planting, your crops probably will do very well without side dressing. Possible exceptions are corn and onions, and cabbage family crops which are heavy feeders and almost always require side dressing. If you’ve just started to improve your soil by adding organic matter, side-dressings are essential. This is especially true in a sandy soil with little organic matter. Plant foods leached out of sandy soil and away from the roots of your crops. To keep crops growing smoothly, you’ll probably need to side-dress. Not all crops need side-dressing. Peas and beans, greens and root crops grow fine when fertilized only at planting time. Carrots, beets and turnips need only a little extra bone meal at planting time to provide phosphorus for the roots.
Applying Side-Dressings:
Side Dressings are usually applied by either circling the plants or banding. I disagree with this method. I prefer to side dress in the trench watering system I have developed. This method improves upon the old method in two ways.
- It prevent the side dressing from being washed away during watering or when heavy rains occurs.
- It prevents burning of the roots from over fertilization and the top mulch keeps the soil moist allowing better nutrient absorption.
I prefer balanced 13-13-13 (triple 13) for most of my side dressing, however Organic or time released fertilizer will work as well.
| Crop | When to side dress crop | How much to use |
|---|---|---|
| Broccoli | When the head begins to form. | 1-2 tablespoons per plant |
| Brussels Sprouts | When you can harvest the first small sprout | 1 tablespoon per plant. |
| Cabbage | When the head starts to form. | 1 tablespoon per plant. |
| Cauliflower | When the leaves are full size or 5-6 weeks after transplanting. | 1-2 tablespoons per plant. |
| Chard | After the first harvest. | ½ tablespoon per foot of row (16 inches wide) |
| Corn | Side-dress twice: at knee height and when silk forms. | 1 tablespoon per plant or 3 cups per 25 feet of row. |
| Cucumbers, Melons and Winter Squash | Before they begin to spread and run. | 1 tablespoon per plant. |
| Leeks | When 8-12 inches tall. | 1 tablespoon per plant. |
| Okra | When plants bloom and again about a month later. | 1 tablespoon per plant or 3 cups per 25 feet of row. |
| Onions | When 6-8 inches tall and every couple of weeks thereafter until bulb starts to expand. | 3 cups per 10 feet of 16-inch wide row. |
| Peppers | When plants bloom | 1 teaspoon per plant |
| Pole Beans | First sign of blooms | ½ cup per 25" row |
| Potatoes | When tubers are planted & Six or seven weeks after planting. Side dress before hilling. | 1 tablespoon per plant or 3 cups per 25 feet of row |
| Tomatoes | When blooms appear or when first tiny green fruits appear. | 1-2 tablespoons per plant. |
