My homemade compost is my favorite plant food. Most analysis I've seen show compost as low NPK but it's a complete meal with both macro and micro nutrients, and it can stay around for a long time. Great soil amendment, too. I just never have as much as I want.
I usually only add a little actual fertilizer to the planting hole while planting, and most things never get fertilizer again for their entire lives. I try to avoid chemical fertilizers and stick to stuff that's more earth friendly. I always check the ingredients and use things derived from bone and blood meal, seed meals, guanos and the like, as opposed to ones made from petrochemicals. They're not necessarily certified organic, but at least earth friendly. The Espoma "tones" are readily available here and I probably use those most. And they tend to be much lower in NPK than chemical ferts, but again are more complete in micro and macro nutes.
Karen
