United Kingdom 
Hi
We have a large garden and I grow a variety of vegetables and soft fruit. We don't have a good crop of anything really - I throw a bit of growmore or blood fish and bone or chicken manure about the place but I don't understand the specifics of which fertiliser for which crop.
I keep chickens and put their droppings (including straw) and weeds in compost bins and put this on the garden.
Please can you give me a very simple explanation of which fertilisers to put on the garden for which crops - I seem unable to grown beetroot (nothing underneath) onions bolt or are small, potatoes are small, cabbages struggle and leeks are mediocre.
I am not a good gardener but am keen and want to be better - I have 2 raised beds made from sleepers and the rest of the garden is open ground.
I would be grateful for any suggestions please - I tried to look on line but for example found out that potoatoes want phospate, nitrogen, potash, magnesium, blood fish and bone and growmore!!! I know what growmore is and blood fish and bone but which fertiliser includes phospate etc I need simple advice please - thanking you in anticipation
5 Feb, 2011
Answers
Fertlisers have an N-P-K content of various concentrations.
Phosphate is the "P"
Growmore has phosphate, fish blood and bone has phosphate.
They are the basics, in addition trace elements are present in some fertilisers...magnesium iron manganese and loads more.
As to your soil, what depth of top soil do you have?
If you want to grow veg in your garden you should have a minimum of four beds, one for brassicas, one for potatoes, one for onions, one for carrots/root crops
Each is treated differently, and the crops are rotated each year so for example you grow carrots in the potato bed, brassicas in the onion, etc etc.
Best time for soil preparation ( manure) is October, leaving nature to do it's thing. Spring time you just add whatever your favourite fertiliser is. Don't manure carrot beds.
BTD fertiliser is a good allrounder
http://www.gardendirect.co.uk/garden-care/fertilisers/general-fertilizers-chemicals/b.t.d.-fertilizer
This is good
http://www.gardendirect.co.uk/garden-care/soil-conditioning/calcified-seaweed-replacement
and this as plants grow
http://www.gardendirect.co.uk/garden-care/organic-natural-range/organic-fertilizers/liquid-humus
Plenty of specialist onion and potato fertilisers available.
6 Feb, 2011
You can buy Hoof & Horn, superphosphate and potash, the main fertiliser for most plants. Your ground also needs humus which comes from compost or well rotted manure. Lime is needed to bring up the PH levels, not needed for Potatoes, Strawberries or Ericas. Put your fertilisers on the ground 2 weeks before sowing or planting. Water well in drought. In this area we had very low rainfall last year resulting in small potatoes etc.
5 Feb, 2011