Seemeal for Nitrogen

Does anyone have any experience using seedmeal for nitrogen? I found a recipe for a complete organic fertilizer in a book by Steve Solomon. I have used the other ingredients it calls for, but I'm not familiar with seedmeal.
I really recommend his books, by the way!

Arrianne

What type of seed? The most common "seed" meal referred to in organic gardening is cottonseed meal. Though I am sure there are others, that is probably the most available.

I use Solomon's formula, including seed meal, and it works very well for me. I buy the cheapest seed meal available (usually soybean meal around Oly) in 50-lb. bags, and custom blend it according to the crop. For example, I use the formula as-is for cole crops and leafy vegetables. However, with peppers & tomatoes I decrease the the seed meal and increase the bonemeal in order to favor fruit over foliage. With root crops such as carrots, parsnips, etc., I decrease the seed meal even more.

Although it's expensive, I have found that the kelp meal seems to make a big difference. I buy it in a 20- to 25-lb. bags, which for me lasts 3 -4 seasons.

I think very highly of his books. Every time he's recommended something and I did something else, I was wrong...

What did you pay for that 50lb. bag and who supplies it? That is good advice regarding your formulations.

He introduced so many new concepts I had never considered, but make complete sense! I am so excited to get rolling on the veggie garden in the spring. I am going to remove two trees to expand my space for dry gardening and dismantle the raised beds.

I think I paid about $15 -$16 at Dell's Feed & Supply. The price fluctuates with the price of soy. Other feed stores in my area supply it, but Dell's generally has the best price. I'm not wedded to soy over cottonseed or rapeseed, it just happens to be priced right for me. I would point out that the seedmeal I use is not certified organic.

The kelp meal is usually available in large bags from Black Lake Organics south of Olympia. I generally pay $0.95 - $1.10/lb. in when purchasing it in a 20- to 25-lb. bag (Sometimes you'll see it in a 10-kilogram (22-lb. sack). The small boxes available at garden centers are usually about twice as expensive per pound.

That actually isn't bad at all. It's much more reasonably priced that other fertilizers you buy by the bag. I have a dell's nearby I by chicken feed from, so that is just perfect!
If I'm ever down that way, I'll have to pick up a bag, just to try it and see. It would be worth it on the heavy feeding veggies since my soil is so sandy and leaches away the nutrients so quickly.

Thanks a bunch!

You're welcome.

The seed meal should work better in your sandy soil than conventional fertilizers as the seedmeal nutrients are slowly released by microorganisms based on temperature, whereas the release of conventional fertilizer nutrients is largely based on solubility.

Best of luck to you.

You folks got me all interested in this Steve Solomon guy so I Googled him. His books, with the exception of one that looks like it's in German, are out of print. Waaaaahhhhhh! It all looks so interesting. Especially Gardening Without Irrigation. Anybody got an old copy you want to part with?

I'll try the library over the weekend. Here in Phoenix (The Valley of the Sun!!) I could use some info on gardening without irrigation.

Thanks for the tip though.
Mary

He has two books that are in stock at Amazon. One of them is "Gardening when it Counts" which has considerable information on dryland gardening. It's a new book that is planning ahead for gardening changes forced by resource shortages (oil, water, etc.). I recently bought a copy and gladly recommend it.

That's also one of the two I bought. You're really going to need a lot of space!
It's also one of those books you really need to read more than once and take notes as you go.

This message was edited Jan 9, 2007 11:17 AM

Gardening without Irrigation appears to be available from Amazon:

http://tinyurl.com/y85oc2

Great. Thanks folks, guess I should have dug deeper, so to speak. I'll grab one or more from Amazon.

Hey Mary, there are also a couple of his books on half.com

Thanks rtl.....I checked half.com and they have some great bargains but one of Steve Solomon's books (Gardening Without Irrigation) is going for $89 in paperback. What's up with that I wonder? I'm going to hit the library this weekend and see if I can 'preview' the books.

"Gardening Without Irrigation" is out of print and therefore rare and priced accordingly. I don't have a copy and can't really comment on its contents, but his new book, "Gardening When It Counts", does contain a lot of info about dryland gardening. The premise of the book involves gardening while minimizing increasingly scarce inputs such as petroleum-based products and fuels, fresh water, etc.

Given the age of "GWI" it's likely that "GWIC" has more updated info. However, the book collector in me would also like a copy of "GWI". ;-)

Were you unable to get the book from Amazon? It's listed for $9.95 in the paperback section and shows as being in stock.

GM - do you mean me? if so, I'm going to try looking at them first at the library. I've been spending money on lots of gardening books lately and I'm trying to pace myself.......if you know what I mean. ;-)

MaryMcP, I hope your local library has a copy. I been able to find some good gardening books at our local library, but many of the sustainable gardening titles are not available. $89 seems exorbitant for a paperback.