Number One:
Feed your soil. If you have healthy vibrant soil...your plants will be the same...healthy bacteria in the soil make it possible for roots to absorb more nutrients.
Humic acid, and organic all purpose fertilizers like Whitney Farms and Dr. Earth contain the mycorhyzza that help this process. The healthy organic matter also provides a nice place for earthworms to live...Earthworms=earthworms castings...You can also add comercial worm compost like "WormGold Plus" with minerals...The worm gold contains "chitans" little ectoskeltons which ward off naughty bugs. They sense the dead bugs and keep away.
So healthy up your soil...til it, feed it now before you plant...it is not only a foundation, but THE foundation for a happy garden!
I like "
www.gardencompass.com"..they have helped me a lot in growing organically...
So, then...after you have your soil nice and ready for the reception of the tuber roots...you can begin thinking about fertilization. There are a bezillion ways to fertilize...I guess we can rely first and formost on good old Mother Nature...that being : photosynthesis..THE SUN...yay for the sun...plants make their own food...we just add supplementation and amendments...If you soil is healthy and you have good sun exposure, you are in luck. I , of course, like organic supplements, which have really improved over the years. Since there are so many to chose from, I just recommend a balanced all purpose...5-5-5..it has worked very well for me over the years...This year I am going to try fertigation..we'll see what happens...
There is also a new pelleted time released OMRI certified called GrowBetter...this is a pelleted chicken manure...I would like to try it, but I have over 200 plants and it is pricey!
The nice thing about the organic all purpose is that you cannot burn your plants, and the plant will only take from it what it needs...Feeding with chemical fertilizers is kind of like drinking apple flavored Kool Aid instead of eating an apple...it is "fast food" for the plant...Some people do like using it, but in the long run, it is unhealthy for the soil, and one may find themselves having to do extra work...The organics feed the soil too, and make a cozy home for beneficial bugs and worms.which in turn help keep nasty bugs and insects at bay...
Dis-ease/Pests: Prevention is key in growing organically...You need to stay one step ahead of the nasty stuff...How?? Well...Take care of your soil!! Allow the soil to live by using non-toxic amendments and fertilizers! Feed with life, get life...I have found a plethora of lady bugs and beneficials in my garden now, they do most of the work...But for those pesky problems...I have to use "stuff". For chewing, sucking bugs I use Spinosad spray. I follow the directions on th container and I do not spray the blooms, only buds and plant. ( Always spray in the coolof hte morning or cool of the evening on a non-windy day...) For mildew, I was having luck with Potassium Bicarbonate, but this year I am going to treat prophilactically with light soluble sulfur and neem oil...The neem is also good for bad bugs, but I found that it kinda burned some leaves..so I am less likely to use it much...Worm/compost tea, use this to help prevent disease and pest...it helps the immune system and the chitans in it help keep certains bugs away...hhhhmmm...I also just pick naughty bugs off with my fingers, as well as use water to spray them off...For earwigs I use diatomaceous earth arond the base of the plant...As well as keeping the area around the plant clean and clear with a nice mulch layer...Keeping the garden clean and free from weeds will help prevent problems as well...