Spring garden tips: Why manure is nature's best fertilizer

The best fertilizer for your garden is manure. It can be spread on lawns, vegetable beds and perennial borders. Lawns have had a tough time recently: a dry summer, a dry fall, a dry winter. Recent snow may improve the drought situation a bit, but it still makes sense to reduce our turf areas.

Composted manure is available at garden centers and hardware stores. It does not stink. It actually has a rather pleasant earthy smell. It's easy to apply. Grab a bucket and scatter it.

Composted manure won't burn plants. It provides slow-release nutrients--mainly nitrogen--and it improves the soil. It aids in water retention and improves soil texture. It's beneficial for earthworms and soil microorganisms.

As valuable as manure is, some plants need extra nutrition to perform at maximum level. Container plants and vegetables need extra nutrients. All plants need nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium, as well as trace elements such as magnesium and iron. Commercial fertilizers are formulated for specific needs of specific plants. It doesn't matter whether the nutrients come out of a cow, sheep, chicken, box, bottle or bag. Nitrogen is nitrogen. Phosphorous is phosphorous. Potassium is potassium. They are elements. The ratio of these elements in a commercial fertilizer is what's important.

The overapplication of nitrogen on vast swaths of turf can result in runoff. it gets in streams and lakes. It can lead to algae bloom and the death of fish and other aquatic life. Select fertilizers carefully and apply them wisely.