How Important is Fertilizer to Container Gardens?

I used to think that fertilizer was only for dedicated gardeners only. I thought my plants would do just fine without fertilizer, and that I didn't want to add that expense to my garden.




However, when I transplanted my Meyer Lemon tree, I wanted to baby it a bit and get some fertilizer for it. Turns out that the fertilizer I got wasn't specifically for citrus (kind of a bummer), so I could use it for my entire garden. I decided to go ahead and use it on my entire garden, since it wouldn't hurt.




I knew some of my plants weren't as green as they could be, but I was pretty surprised to see my plants go from washed out, to deep green.




These photos show the light color the foliage had been prior to fertilizing, and the color they turned or are turning into. This is just so interesting to me, and has turned me into a believer of fertilizing!

The container of soluble fertilizer I purchased was rather expensive, and I'd like to use compost/mulching and see if I get the same results. Next year! I should have some great compost next spring.