[boybeck]

Hello

I'm just about to plant out my first ever cabbage plants (spring).  My gardening book says plant them with a general purpose fertiliser.  What would that be?

[Yorkie]

Something like fish blood n bone, or growmore 

[Kristen]

It should have the NPK ratio printed on the label, and the three numbers should be the same (or similar). Man-made fertiliser that is "general purpose" is often labelled "Growmore" and have the ratio 7-7-7. Fish Blood and Bone is usually 6-6-6

If the numbers are higher (say, 10-10-10) you will need less of it per unit area, and if they are lower (say, 5-5-5) you will need more. In very general terms. The application rate will be on the packet.

Where one of the numbers is significantly higher than the other two it is a specific fertilizer - so a high first number means relatively more Nitrogen, and that will make things grow more leaves - generally not a good idea this time of the year as they new growth will be very soft and more susceptible to frosts etc. So, for example, Sulphate of Ammonia is 20-0-0 - good for making things grow in the Spring

[boybeck]

Thanks for all your replies.  I didn't know about the numbering, so that was really helpful.  I'll go and get some B,F and B then seeing as I'm trying to garden without chemicals.

[Kristen]

By the by, when I was a nipper I was told to wear [rubber] gloves when handling Blood or Bonemeal.  No idea if that was an old wives tale then, since solved [by sterilization], or whether its still a good idea even now perhaps?

[Paul Plots]

I try to avoid breathing it in.

Old wives' tale may have something to do with TB.... but I could well be wrong 

[Jay Dubya]

Hi, personally i wouldn't feed spring cabs on planting you don't want them to grow too quickly you only want them to overwinter feed them in the spring when you want the growth spurt.