Hey, Indigo. Best advice I can give you mate is just go for it. Try lot's of different things, but don't worry too much about "the rules" this year. Nature has got a way of fighting whatever you do anyway. Do everything right, and something will go wrong. Do something wrong, and nature will fight back to try and compensate.
Year one - feed the head, year two - feed the belly. Do a couple of things "wrong" on purpose just to see what happens. All the advice in the world won't help you until you get some practical experience to relate it to. If you're growing from seed, grow some duplicates in a different medium, or in a different place, or feed one and not the other. Don't wreck it on purpose, but see how the plants react so you know the signs. Don't think of this as a science, more of an art - the rules don't always work and you have to get "a feel" for it. Whack some seeds in a bit early, and some more in a bit late. Play around with it and have fun. Next year you'll be much better off for it.
Last year I pretty much grew everything in multipurpose compost, and it didn't work with onions for example. I mixed in some top soil with MPC on some later, and they would have worked a treat ... but ... I either needed to have started them earlier or given them a better location. Some plants loved MPC, but were in the wrong spot in the garden, some worked fantastic! My corn grew taller and fruited earlier than the commercial fields that my neighbour drove past every day, and he was amazed what mine achieved in a small planter. My strawberries thrived in seed compost as that was all I had left when they went in - but I watered and fed accordingly, based on what the plants were telling me.
Last year was my first year and I jumped in at the deep end, and I am really REALLY glad I did. You'll feel a lot happier with some experience of getting thing wrong under your belt too, I'm sure
Year one - feed the head, year two - feed the belly. Do a couple of things "wrong" on purpose just to see what happens. All the advice in the world won't help you until you get some practical experience to relate it to. If you're growing from seed, grow some duplicates in a different medium, or in a different place, or feed one and not the other. Don't wreck it on purpose, but see how the plants react so you know the signs. Don't think of this as a science, more of an art - the rules don't always work and you have to get "a feel" for it. Whack some seeds in a bit early, and some more in a bit late. Play around with it and have fun. Next year you'll be much better off for it.
Last year I pretty much grew everything in multipurpose compost, and it didn't work with onions for example. I mixed in some top soil with MPC on some later, and they would have worked a treat ... but ... I either needed to have started them earlier or given them a better location. Some plants loved MPC, but were in the wrong spot in the garden, some worked fantastic! My corn grew taller and fruited earlier than the commercial fields that my neighbour drove past every day, and he was amazed what mine achieved in a small planter. My strawberries thrived in seed compost as that was all I had left when they went in - but I watered and fed accordingly, based on what the plants were telling me.
Last year was my first year and I jumped in at the deep end, and I am really REALLY glad I did. You'll feel a lot happier with some experience of getting thing wrong under your belt too, I'm sure
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