Is there an easy specific way a person can get the vegetables to grow faster, plants to be stronger, plants to produce more with out using bought fertilizer? (like 10-10-10) Any natural possibilities?
Thanks
Tom

Yes, compost!

Welcome to All Things Plants, @Theis !

Compost, absolutely -- having a good compost pile is invaluable! Depending on what you might have access to, aged manure and seaweed can be used, as well.

Compost and wormcast will add fertilizer. Just plain old leaves will if worked into soil help with friability (soil texture). (see vermi-culture).

Its not a once-off kind of thing. You are going to add to your garden yearly.

You need to watch Dave's video on Soils.

Hmmm....
Maybe recognize the folly of yanking out non-target plants... And throwing them away!

Yeah. Most plants removed should be composted, and keeping the compost in the garden... Means not losing valuable nutrients... In fact, I deliberately plant next to the compost piles to take advantage of the extra nutrients and moisture.

Most people remove the plant material from the garden believing that out of sight is better... But... The nutrient losses...

I encourage nurse weeds, and native fabaceae.
In the deep south... The veggies may appreciate a bit of relief from the sub-tropical sun... Hence the nurse weeds... Plus... They bring up nutrients from beyond the ability of the veggies to reach...
Plus... Getting a healthy soil microbial community is essential.
This often means limiting the tilling, and adding mongo amounts of mulch materials.

Of course... Different soil and weather conditions often make different cultivation practices necessary.

Most of us are familiar with the concept of allowing clover and alfalpha do the work of breaking through a hard pan... With those 30 foot roots... They create pathways for the vegetables.
In a monograph I read on weeds, the author suggested that all plants have that ability, that the plants we already have are up to the task.

http://www.naturalsequencefarm...

Gardening is about paying attention to the plants, and that can often mean going against the prevailing wisdom...

Alfalfa pellets (horse food from the feed store) are a great amendment and have a fair amount of nutrient value in the nitrogen category as well. They feed the microbiome in your soil pretty well and encourage worms.

Worm castings if you can get them are a good plant food.

But, be aware that you will have to work at least twice as hard to nourish your plants if you don't use bought fertilizer.

dyzzypyxxy said:
But, be aware that you will have to work at least twice as hard to nourish your plants if you don't use bought fertilizer.

Very true -- and the reason I use lots of organic material PLUS triple-10 !