In 2020 we did not broadcast the fertilizer in order to not fertilize the weeds between the vegetable rows. The fertilizer (with boron + zinc sulfate for the corn) was spread in about a 12-in band where the row’s raised bed where the hiller pulled soil over it.
Used the advice in the link below to compute the amount of fertilizer to spread to equate to 120 lbs/ac per the Dec. 2019 soil test report.
From Calculating Recommended Fertilizer Rates for Vegetables Grown in Raised Bed, Mulched Cultural Systems at IFAS. Applied that advice as follows:
- 3-4 ft bed spacing = 0.83 to 1.10 lbs per 100 LBF for 120 lbs/ac. For 42? spacing (Fergies setup) apply 0.95 lbs/100 LBF or 1 pint. LBF stands for Linear Bed Foot.
- 15-0-15 with 15% N means 0.95/.15 = 6.33 lbs per 100 ft of 12?-wide row. That formula is from the linked paper.
- 6.33 lbs. would be 6-1/3 pints of 15-0-15.
- In addition – Per soil test report dated Dec 2019 – For sweet corn apply 1 Tbsp zinc sulfate per 100 ft of row.
- So, for our 60 ft row spread 4 pts of 15-0-15 (w/ 2% iron) with 2 tsp of zinc sulfate (2/3ths of a tablespoon in 60 ft is almost 2/3s of a 100 ft row. For 5 such rows, mix 20 pints (2-1/2 gallons) of 15-0-15 plus 10 tsp of zinc sulfate.
- Then spread 4 pints of the fertilizer plus zinc sulfate on each row and hill it.
