At this time of year, lettuce, garlic and rhubarb are up and seeds for beets, turnips and peas are ready to go in. At the local feed mill there was a run on corn gluten meal. What?

Most people have not heard of corn gluten meal. According to the Iowa State Horticulture Department, it is “the protein fraction of the corn extracted in the wet-milling process and is used as an animal feed. It contains approximately 10% nitrogen (N) by weight and makes a good natural fertilizer.” While corn gluten meal is not an organic fertilizer, many gardeners use it to condition the soil and add nitrogen without using commercial fertilizers. Nitrogen is often depleted by gardeners who do not us commercial fertilizers or pesticides, so it something of a compromise: an organic compound, but likely with trace residue of other chemicals, so not “certified organic.”

Iowa State also says corn gluten meal applied to turf one week before crabgrass germination suppresses the weed.