Fertilizer is an important part of a successful garden, but using the wrong one or using the right one the wrong way can cause problems. Overuse is one of the most common problems, especially in the case of slow-release fertilizers.

Slow release fertilizers are designed to release their nutrients over a period of time & if you apply them too often, you may wind up overlapping the new with the old that has not fully released yet.

Always make certain you read the directions for the fertilizers you are using in your garden. In most cases, they will say how often they should be applied.

There are 3 components to fertilizer: nitrogen, phosphorus & potassium. They’re rated by the amount of each of these ingredients. There is more. They will have a number, such as 20-20-20, which shows how much of each is included. The first number is the nitrogen content, the second is the phosphorus & the third is the potassium.

Each of the three components of fertilizer promotes different types of growth. Nitrogen promotes leaf & stem growth, phosphorus helps with fruits & strong root systems & potassium helps to strengthen the plants.

Initially, a complete fertilizer will help to get your plants started properly. After growth has begun, be very careful not to over-fertilize with nitrogen, which can make the plant put too much energy into growing leaves & stems, making the fruit growth suffer in turn.

There are many types of fertilizer available, some chemical based & others organic. Consider where you’ll be using them when choosing which type to use. If you are growing vegetables that you’ll be eating, you might want to think twice or two times before using chemical fertilizers – after all, would you want to put that stuff in your body?

Dave Truman offers advice about choosing the right fertilizer & other vegetable gardening topics on the Vegetable Gardeners website. Get your free copy of our 3 special reports on getting your garden started right at http://www.vegetablegardeners.com