EAT YOUR VEGETABLES: Maryann James posts on vegetable gardening every Tuesday. 

Months ago, when I first started buying pots, soil and seeds for my balcony garden, I also picked up fertilizers. I bought a box of your run-of-the-mill Miracle Grow and a bottle of fish emulsion, which had been a recommended fertilizer by my particular seed seller, Renee's Garden.

As I brought my purchase up to the counter, the friendly clerk gave me a warning: "Be careful with fish emulsion. You don't want to burn your seedlings."

I had no idea what he was talking about, but it scared me away from all fertilizers for months, until, in June, I finally decided to give my plants a bit of a perk. Rodale's Ultimate Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening recommends using a sprayer for your plants, but I used my own bootleg version: My watering can. I mixed up the appropriate proportions, plopped it in, and watered all my plants. Even those that didn't need a nitrogen boost. (Fish emulsion's prime benefit.)

I'm still feeling my way with all this gardening stuff. I'm still not on the level of Rodale's, which goes so far as to suggest mix-and-match fertilizer combinations and print an exhaustive list of organic fertilizers. One thing I have learned? Fish emulsion is stinky. "Don't use fish emulsion indoors, though, because of its strong odor," the Organic Gardening guide advises. "Save it for your outdoor containers and garden plants." I agree.

I'm considering using the Miracle Grow from now on, as it is a more general fertilizer, but I'm fearful of using non-organics on my edibles. Any suggestions?

(Photo by hilari @ flickr)