I don't know about your garden, but Spring is promising to come early here with glorious sunny days and flowers already beginning to spring from the fruit trees in our garden!  Seeds we were waiting to sow are now in their pots and many of our plants that were sleeping for the winter are already starting to poke tiny tips into the air.

Fertilizing your plants is necessary for good, healthy growth, but with so many fertilizers on the market it can be pretty confusing to know which to choose. Below I have outlined the essential nutrients plants need to grow, with an overview on organic fertilizers, soil improvers, compost, mulch, manures & chemical fertilizers.

Essential plant nutrients

Every plant needs a number of essential nutrients to grow. Essential nutrients are nutrients that are required to enable a plant to complete their life cycle.
There are 13 essential nutrients, and each has its own critical function. Essential nutrients are divided into macronutrients (plants require a large amount) and micronutrients (plants require in smaller amounts). There are 3 others very important for plant growth, Carbon, Hydrogen and Oxygen, but these are not considered nutrients.