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Sainte-Catherine-de-Hatley, Quebec, Canada

Hi, the season is over and I want to amend the patch. Any ideas for a slow release balance fertilizer to add next spring before the pumpkins go in the ground

10/18/2026 12:49:11 PM

Grittyville, WA

I'm a fan of whatever is locally free or cheap. Anything that eats alfalfa should give good manure. It's a deep rooted plant and usually seems to have good minerals/ nutrients. Not every compost or manure will be good... generally not a great idea to add random stuff from untrusted sources. But eventually you do figure out what is good and helps vs what doesnt.

10/18/2026 5:00:28 PM

Grittyville, WA

Things like sulfer or calcium can be slow to release, but without testing you dont really know if you need those (or how much).

10/18/2026 5:02:44 PM

Sainte-Catherine-de-Hatley, Quebec, Canada

I just found a 14-14-10 that is slow release throughout the season that I can get for 50$ to cover the whole patch. I’ll ad compost or manure this fall

10/18/2026 5:25:43 PM

C N Y

FYI, and I see it mentioned all the time, a 'balanced' fertilizer is not 2-5-66, 14-14-10; 'Balanced' means that the main nutrients, N, P and K are all the same percent of the total. (20-20-20, 33.3, 33.3, 33.3, lol) Micros from there-on would not necessarily be all the same numbers of their own, but it would satisfy the term 'balanced'. I Googled it, of course and had not realized (fully) that because the plant can use one or more nutrients at its own pace, the others can be used up less or more rapidly, resulting in excesses/problems with any of the other applied nutes, unless a soil test's recommendations are followed. To not re-look through your Diary, do you have the use of a tractor-based tiller that a farmer could use in your quest? I, myself have a 9-foot-wide one and the reason I've not been using it is there is another grower a half mile from me that likes to till with another neighbor's. If I think about it, HE's taking all the glory! Laters---eric g

10/19/2026 7:11:01 AM

Grittyville, WA

Personally, I'd call 14-14-10 balanced, but whatever. Eating a balanced diet doesn't require precision it just means you eat a sufficient amount of each food group. But I guess that's a liberal, not literal, use of the term "balanced." Oh well.

[Last edit: 10/19/26 2:39:24 PM]

10/19/2026 2:36:19 PM

Upa Creek, MO

Agreed with L.C, 14-14-10 is pretty close to balanced. I think one that a lot of people use as more of a light supplement during the season is 20-20-20. You need to watch how much you use of anything because of salts in the soil.

Alfalfa pellets and meal are a light fertilizer that is great for overall soil health (structure, O.M and feeds microbes) and adds trace elements and macro nutrients. You can get it in 50 pound bags for cheap and that'll cover 500Sq feet.

10/19/2026 7:24:54 PM

Ma

Here's my list I was thinking to do 1. Azomite 2. Langbeinite 3. Gypsum 4. Lime 5. Oyster shells 6. Kelp Meal 7. Alfalfa Pellets 8. Humic Acid

[Last edit: 10/19/26 7:53:23 PM]

10/19/2026 7:53:04 PM

Sainte-Catherine-de-Hatley, Quebec, Canada

Thanks for all the info, I keep underfeeding these pumpkins and I believe that to be responsible for lots of issues

10/20/2026 5:52:52 PM

Ma

Mine was for fall amendments, sorry I didn't properly read Maurice. You may be right, I know I function much better when properly fed ;-)

10/20/2026 6:56:59 PM

C N Y

Well, any advice on BP.c is free, regardless the usable value of it, lol---eg

10/20/2026 8:30:24 PM