Growing produce without fertilizer ... my first response is to question definitions.
For instance, what do you mean by produce? A homeowner's garden for their own use, or growing things for direct sale to the public, or a commodity size operation selling to a processor?
When you say "without fertilizer" do you mean without "commercial" fertilizer?
Honestly this probably isn't the best place to get a good answer for a question like this. These forum are focused mostly on conventional commercial production agriculture. But I'll give it a try.
Encyclopedia Britannica says fertilizer, natural or artificial substance containing the chemical elements that improve growth and productiveness of plants. Fertilizers enhance the natural fertility of the soil or replace chemical elements taken from the soil by previous crops. I suspect you mean without "artificial" fertilizer. The buzz words you are looking for are organic or sustainable. It can be done, but it's a much different mind set than you usually find in a farmer's forum like this.Plants need fertilizer in some form. To get it "organically" you need manure. Manures are obtained from natural sources, whereas fertilisers are synthetically manufactured in the factories. Manures are eco-friendly, whereas fertilisers harm the useful microbes present in the soil and also decrease the soil fertility if used for a longer time. That's from this page, https://byjus.com/biology/fertilizers-vs-manure/ someplace you may wan to look at. Keep in mind there is a definite bias present.
When folks on here say manure it is usually animal manure. You can compost animal and plant waste, although most in commercial agriculture would just apply it to the field and incorporate it. Compost can be made from household waste for home gardens. It can be made in commercial quantities. It can even be made from pet waste and dead animals. (BTW it is recommended composted pet waste not be used for compost used to grow plants for human consumption https://doggydogood.com/blogs/dog-blog/is-dog-poop-compostable )
There is also "green manure"Green manures are crops grown specifically for building and maintaining soil fertility and structure, though they may also have other functions. They are normally incorporated back into the soil, either directly, or after removal and composting. We typically call them cover crops. One idea is plants are continually capturing sunlight and converting that energy into organic matter. By keeping a growing crop year round you are collecting that sunshine.
When I was a kid Mrs. Gillis was a neighbor. She seemed older than the hills at the time to a kid. She grew a huge garden that supplied almost all her needs. She didn't buy fertilizer or use pesticides. But everything went back to the garden soil including cooking scraps and the aged contents of her outhouse. That probably would not be considered acceptable these days.
I really haven't helped you much but I have to go. Maybe this helps point you in the right direction
Edited by Mike SE IL 6/7/2023 03:28
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Best way to grow produce without fertilizers
