Your plants will need to be fertilized. When your garden is first established, a volunteer or you will use a slow release fertilizer to support the first few months, but then you'll need to add fertilizer to maximize your crop growth. Using a water soluble, well-balanced garden vegetable fertilizer is recommended, but it can also be expensive. There are many ways to create free fertilizers depending on what your plant needs. If you're interested and learning more about this, you should look up banana tea, fermented plant juice, lactic acid bacteria, fish aminos, and other natural farming fertilizers. You can make them at home for almost free. When using a store-bought fertilizer, follow the directions on the package. You can learn more about how to create your own fertilizers on the Hawai'i's College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resilience website. Search: natural farming

When it comes time to replant after a harvest, you'll want to add more nutrients to the soil. The best way to do this is by introducing the compost from your composter, but that won't always be available, so consider using a multi-purpose garden fertilizer and following the directions on the package.