The suggestions Dave gave were good and I'd support them except for the last few paragraphs. All of the meals mentioned may contain significant N but they are also sources of many other nutrients; Alfalfa meal might be expected to contain 3.5% N and also 1.8%K, .5% P, etc. The same for bone meal which is high in Calcium as well as Phosphorus. A soil test will reveal your soil status on other important nutrients, most notably Calcium and Magnesium. I would be more concerned about the ratio of Potassium (K) to Calcium (Ca)+ Magnesium (Mg) than just K alone. Surprisingly to some, few soil test labs will routinely test for nitrogen(N). They will usually just make a blanket recommendation based on the crop you intend to grow. A test for N midway through the growing season might be of some benefit. But what the Lab. will usually do is a regular pH reading and a buffered pH reading. between the 2 a specialist can better determine if limestone, dolomitic limestone, or some other nutrients might be applied and in what rates. From your test Sulfur (S) would be suggested to lower pH, but as Dave said get a reliable test first. If you are looking to purchase straight fertilizer ingredients you should look past the box stores to a farm supply store. There you could ask for P sources: Diammonium phosphate (DAP)(16%N, 48%P2O5), Monammonium phosphate(MAP)(12%N, 61%P2O5). For N sources the more common are: Urea (46%N), Ammonium Nitrate (34%N) and Calcium Nitrate (15.5%N, 19% Ca).

yes to what Byron says, if the plants are blooming and setting fruit reasonably, you don't need to "force feed", especially that often - many of the foods we eat are good sources of P and K, so food waste compost provides everything any growing veggie needs - greensand is also high K - if you've limed recently, the calcium may be preventing K uptake, but if not, there isn't usually a problem in a decent garden soil w/ lack of K Bill

I found out in June that my cholestrol was high, 240 total - don't know the good/bad numbers but having been told that I had some stenosis in one of the arteries, I decided to work on diet and excerise. I am on Simavastatin, generic drug for cholestrol, 10 mg a day. I started walking 45 min a day on a treadmill at ramdon settings so that the incline changes or if I don't walk I do a Senior Aerobics class (had been doing some of that before). I do one or the other 5 days a week. I also changed my diet - gave up white bread products, pastries, cookies, etc, and have lower the amount of red meat - we never eat much at a time but now we had fish at least once a week, pork, chicken and try one dinner a week without meat. Eating more veggies and cooking with olive oil mostly. Also avoiding the processed foods - like the box rice dishes, etc. Lowering the sodium - avoiding sodas and salty snacks. I only use milk on cereal but I did go from whole to 2%. - Sorry Oilpainter but skim looks like water to me. I do eat Light Yogurt once a day. I eat cereal every morning but once a week, have whatever I want that day but the cereal are whole grain, lots of fiber. I like the Whole Wheat Flats for bread- they are really good, kinda sweet tasting. When I had my checkup at the end of August my cholestrol had dropped to 140. I think she said the good was 49, would have liked it a little higher but she was really pleased. My blood pressure which was also increasing had been in the 130's - 140's was down to 102 - the second number has always been in the high 50's - low 60's. I also had lost weight, which I also needed to do. I am now pretty stable, weight wise - I don't get winded when I walk long distances like I used to. So, changing diet and excerise - which I believe was the key for me - works. I don't know how much the meds did vs the other changes but she thinks I may be able to come off the meds in Dec. when I go back. If you get the recipe book Cooking Light - it has some really great dishes in it. I also found some great ones is a magazine called Clean Living. Good luck! Oilpainter - I would love to eat Oatmeal and almonds, walnuts - found out I am allergic to them!

Shirley, I read your post just now while eating oat bran. LOL Usually I cook it in a bowl in the microwave, sometimes adding raisins before cooking. Sometimes I add a sprinkle of cinnamon. Occasionally I stir in some applesauce after cooking. Tonight I was eating it uncooked, mixed with wheat germ and some raisins and walnuts, and sweetened slightly with one drop of stevia. Cooked or uncooked, I eat it with soymilk. Actually, oat bran is very much on my mind right now because I have to launder a shirt and shorts that are covered with it. I fell down my porch steps this evening while holding a bowl of cooked oat bran and soymilk, and it got all over me--hair, arms, clothes. What a mess. I don't know how it happened. My DS was right there, and he doesn't know how it happened either. I'm just glad I didn't reinjure my bad knee. Anyway, I didn't get to eat any of it, so that's why I was eating it uncooked a little later.