The Frugal Gardener

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For nitrogen: 10 pounds cottonseed meal, or 5 pounds fish meal,or 5 pounds blood meal, or 4 pounds hoof and horn meal

For phosphorus:
45 pounds bone meal, or 10 pounds phosphate rock, or 10 pounds soft phosphate

For potash and trace minerals:
1 pound kelp meal and 2 pounds wood ashes, or 10 pounds crushed granite, or 10 pounds green sand

As a texturizer:
2 cubic feet of manure

For microscopic life and humus:
up to 1 cubic yard of compost

For calcium:
2 pounds eggshells

GARDEN SUPERSTARS FOR ESSENTIAL VITAMINS AND MINERALS

The following listing contains major plant sources of important vitamins and minerals. The information is approximate. It's impossible to assign an exact nutrient value to a crop—growing and eating conditions vary widely. Not all the scientific test results agree either. Nor does everyone agree that the government's RDA (Recommended Daily Allowance) of each vitamin and mineral is appropriate.

The lists are generally in descending order—i.e., the higher a food is on a list, the more of that nutrient it contains. Where I found specific values for certain crops, I added them in parentheses. (Such statements refer to one cup of the food unless otherwise noted.) The abbreviations IU, mg., and DGLVs stand for international units, milligrams, and dark green leafy vegetables, respectively.

VITAMIN A, or carotene: Good for the skin; mucous membranes in mouth, urinary tract, and respiratory and digestive systems; and night vision. RDA: 5,000 IU. Primary Sources: Carrots (one raw carrot = 7,930 IU; the Juwarot variety has the highest vitamin A content), sweet potatoes, most DGLVs (spinach = 14,850 IU), lamb's-quarters, dandelions, violet leaves, parsley, garden cress, butternut and hubbard squashes, pumpkins, and cantaloupes.

VITAMIN B1, or thiamine: Instrumental in the body's oxidation of carbohydrates and promotes health of nervous system, digestion, and appetite. RDA: 1.2-1.5 mg.

Primary Sources: Sunflower seeds (2.84 mg.), millet, turnip greens, dried peas and beans (pintos = 1.6 mg, others average 1.1 mg), sesame seeds, soybeans.

VITAMIN B2, or riboflavin: Essential for eyesight; promotes metabolism of lipids and tryptophan. RDA: 1.2-1.7 mg. Primary Sources: Sunflower seeds (3.3 mg.), kidney bean sprouts, mushrooms, millet, DGLVs (collards = .38 mg., broc coli = .31 mg.), dried beans and peas, amaranth, and lamb 'squarters.

VITAMIN B3, or niacin: Promotes health of skin tissue and nervous system, and aids energy conversion. RDA: 1419 mg. Primary Sources: Peanuts (10 large peanuts = 3.1 mg.), sunflower seeds, ginkgo nuts, wild rice, brown rice, broccoli, dried beans (navy beans = 5.E mg.), peas (3.7 mg.), collards, mush rooms, whole wheat, barley, and oats.

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