Fertilizer For Vegetable Garden

Nothing beats organic, but in the sea of so many natural and organic fertilizers today, one fertilizer stands out thanks to its ability to support the very healthy growth of any kind of plant. 

And it’s this review’s Editor’s Choice, the Dr. Earth Organic 5 Tomato, Vegetable & Herb Fertilizer. 

This fertilizer got us with its rave reviews swearing not to use any other fertilizer again after using it. So how did it go?

Firstly, I instantly liked how versatile it is. It has 4% Nitrogen, 6% Phosphorus, and 3% Potassium. That means that it’s very ideal for root crops and fruit vegetables. But its NPK ratio makes it good for leafy veggies, as well. 

Not only that…

…but you can use it for any stage of your plant’s growth. I was able to use it during the preparation of my garden, when the plants were already established, and even as a top dressing. 

But what’s cooler is it can also be used for container plantings.

The packaging has a lot of comprehensive instructions for the mixes, but I’d say most of them are for shrubs and big plants, so it was kind of challenging to mix it with my container plants but it worked out in the end. 

Actually…

…it’s pretty easy and foolproof to use. My neighbor actually didn’t do anything but put this fertilizer beside his plant. After a couple of weeks, his tomatoes grew a foot tall!

As for absorption, it boasts of Trubiotic which contains microbes and mycorrhizae. What they do is ensure that all the nutrients are thoroughly broken down so they could be absorbed well by the plant’s roots. 

And that’s not all. 

One of the most noticeable effects of this Dr. Earth fertilizer is the plants’ resistance and tolerance to different elements such as the hot weather and the local pests. 

Blossom end rots aren’t a stranger to me, but during the whole time I was using this, there were zero rots at all and the plants became more tolerant to the hot weather.

Aside from the NPK, it also has an even greater amount of calcium for more healthy growth. 

Now, the thing is…

…apparently, dogs find this thing tasty so you may want to be more careful in storing it. But then again, it’s organic so it’s pet-safe anyway.

This granular fertilizer from Jobe’s surprised us because granules are supposed to be slow-working fertilizers. But this one gave fast and very effective results. 

It actually exceeded our expectations for the price it came with, making it this review’s Best Value. 

Another organic fertilizer, this one is a granular type, but it proved to be very easy to use. Actually, we’re caught off guard with surprise many times in the duration of our use of this fertilizer. 

First off, it has Jobe’s very own Jobe Biozome that works to effectively break down the nutrients for faster absorption, much like the Dr. Earth fertilizer. 

And sure enough…

…we’ve seen immediate results after just a couple of days! The difference that we saw with the Editor’s Choice is that it’s more on making the plant taller and bushier while Jobe’s effect made our plants greener, a very vivid green actually…and with no rotten ends, too. 

It’s very easy to use, as well, and you don’t have to be a pro gardener to mix it. It’s not too strong so there’s very little chance of burning your plant’s roots. 

As a matter of fact, you can use it before or after planting. Just make sure to always follow it with the watering of the plants so that the nutrients can immediately be distributed to the roots. 

Also, in case you’re wondering…

…it does smell…strongly. It’s a bit fishy and manure-like. But there’s no wonder about that because organic fertilizers usually smell. That’s a sign that it’s natural. But I’d rather not open it indoors, or the smell would go away only after a couple of days.  

If you want the most natural fertilizer for vegetable gardening, then nothing beats the nutrient-packed worm poop, or also known as earthworm castings. 

If you’re a new planter, don’t be grossed out. It’s just a soil-like matter that you can add to your garden soil to make it healthier. 

In case you didn’t know…

…as worms slither their way through the soil, they’re also munching their way eating up great amounts of nutrients such as potassium, phosphorus, nitrogen, calcium, and magnesium, among many others.  

And once these turn into castings, these nutrients double in their volume, making worm castings one of the best natural and organic fertilizers ever. And because of this, we chose this Wiggle Worm Soil Builder Worm Castings as this review’s Top Pick. 

Aside from its amazing benefits…

…we also love how it’s completely odorless. What a break for our noses!

It has some kind of miniature football-shaped matter, and that apparently helped with our garden soil’s aeration. What we noticed was the soil was able to absorb water and worm or compost tea faster than before. 

And because of this, the result also came really fast. 

Moreover, worm castings are also natural pest repellants, so suffice to say, pests literally stayed away from our tomatoes and peppers as they don’t like worm poop. 

And as if that’s not enough, it also gave our soil better water retention as it contains organic matter than holds just the necessary amount for the roots. That means we didn’t have to fertilize very often. 

And to add to that…

…a very small amount goes a long way, so it’s very cost-efficient, as well!

Looking for a more reinforced kind of fertilizer? Why not try one with humic acid? 

Most pro gardeners are always on the lookout for the best fertilizer with humic acid, and we are, too. After testing a few humic acid fertilizers, we’ve arrived at the conclusion that the FoxFarm Happy Frog Tomato Plants is the best fertilizer with the wonder humic acid. 

In case you’re wondering…

…what exactly does it do? 

Well, we love some humic acid on our vegetable plant because it makes nutrient absorption a world away better than most fertilizers. As a matter of fact, there are humic acids that can be bought as amendments to your soil alongside your fertilizer. 

Good thing is that this fertilizer already comes with it!

Another thing is it can also add more permeability to your plant’s leaves so it can absorb nutrients from there, too. 

Right out of the pack…

…it also smells a bit foul and that’s an indication that it’s natural and organic. And speaking of which, this humic acid fertilizer is made from feather meal, alfalfa meal, rock phosphate, fish bone meal, bone meal, sulfate of potash, fish meal, and kelp meal.

Now, that’s a lot but they’re also all-natural. 

Another thing I realized is it kind of balanced my garden soil’s pH because it has a balanced pH as well. Although it won’t be very ideal for acidic fruits, it’s still a nice benefit that helped most of my fruit vegetables grow their lush leaves into fluffy healthy bushes!

And the growth actually reminded me of the Editor’s Choice fertilizer. 

I used it on my tomato plants and I’ve seen immediate results just one month after using it. The plants grew about a foot and a half. After two months, they went from 6 feet to 9 feet. I know, incredible!

Just take note, because it’s also a bit foul-smelling, although not as strong as the previous fertlizers. 

And apparently, my dogs love it too, so make sure to keep them out of the garden if you don’t want your vegetables rummaged.

If what you’re looking for is a fertilizer with more nutrients than most vegetable garden fertilizers, then get your green babies food with 17 essential nutrients such as the Sustane 464 Plant Food. 

I’m not overacting here…

…that whole lot of nutrients sounded gimmicky to me…until we tried it ourselves.

We used it in a single row of my tomatoesand started seeing results in less than two weeks, 

The focus of this fertilizer is to increase flower and fruit yields, as well as fortify the plant against extreme weather conditions. 

It’s a compost-made fertilizer that’s made from poultry manure and even feathers. But unlike organic fertilizers for vegetable plants, this has no unpleasant odors, to our surprise!

What’s cooler…

…is the fact that it’s made to be gentle to plants, so I was also able to use it on my seedlings. This resulted in faster-growing and greener plants. Not one leaf died or rotted. 

At three weeks, my tomatoes have already grown a 

or two. 

This is a granular fertilizer, though, so we already expected that it’ll be a slow-release fertilizer. And indeed it was. 

Looking for lawn fertilizers?

That being said, that also makes it perfect for lawn and landscape plants because that means they’d have more nutrient supply for longer. 

Our trials also coincided with very humid weather, and this fertilizer’s promise for better tolerance against hotness and dryness proved itself very well. 

But good as it is…

…we find that it’s a bit harder to find than the other granular fertilizers on the market. But if you want a fail-proof result, then it might just be very well worth it to find it and get more stocks of it.

Organic fertilizers are the best, but one of their drawbacks is the nasty smell. If you don’t fancy switching to inorganic fertilizers just to get rid of the odor, then get a good organic vegetable garden fertilizer with less or no nasty odor. 

This marine-derived organic gardening fertilizer from Down to Earth fertilizers is your best bet. Not only is this packed with more nutrients and beneficial microbes than most fertilizers, but it also has less smell for an organic plant food. 

But here’s the kicker.

You may find its charming box delightful, but there’s more to it than that. This fertilizer’s packaging is so well-designed that it’s not only recyclable but you can also shred it to pieces and add it to your compost pile because it’s also organic and unbleached.

The inks on the box are also plant-based!

But the drawback is the packaging, from the box to the plastic inside, felt a bit weak to me so you’d do well to be careful when handling it. 

Nevertheless…

…the fertilizer itself was superb. Its 7-7-2 ratio is even fortified with humic acid, sulfur, and calcium. In short…everything I needed to make my healthy vegetables and plant roots happy. 

It also has quite a gentle formula so I didn’t have to worry about overfertilizing my plants. 

The smell is still there but not unpleasant at all. 

And in case you’re wondering, this impressive formula is made from the finest marine-based ingredients and materials, which are a favorite for fertilizers.

I was able to use it successfully not only for my fruit-bearing vegetable plants but also for my flowering plants.

Tired of watching as your plants turn from a vibrant green to a rotten yellow? We’ve just found the best solution for that. 

This Neptune Harvest Crab and Lobster Shell fertilizer is fast gaining a cult following thanks to its fail-proof results, especially in keeping not only the health and resistance of your plants but its color, as well. 

Coming from the Atlantic ocean…

…these crushed crab shells have chitin, which contains a great amount of calcium that fortifies the cell walls of the plants, making them grow stronger with better resistance. 

And speaking of resistance, another cool thing about chitin is it literally develops a plant’s resistance and defense against pests. 

Only the fertilizer is absorbed by the soil, and later on, by the plant, pests will automatically veer away from your soil and plant. 

In fact…

…even our longtime nemesis, the squirrels, stopped going through our vegetable plants after using this crab shell fertilizer!

We also tried it in summer to truly test out its ability to stop the plants from rotting. And true enough, there are no more yellowed and rotten ends, however hot the days went. 

That being said, at first use, it remarkably smelled like a day-old fish at the wet market. But it wasn’t a big deal to me as the smell diffused just after a whole day. 

This fertilizer is composed of some powdery components as well as small pieces of crushed shells. And as slow release vegetable fertilizers go, this Neptune’s Harvest fertilizer gave our vegetable food that’s ample enough to sustain them for weeks. 

After a few days, the shells were barely noticeable and had already been absorbed into the soil.

If you’ve been a long-time gardener, you’d know the power of liquid kelp in maintaining a plant’s health. 

So we also grabbed a few liquid fertilizers and tested them all out under the hot Texan sun. The GS Plant Foods organic kelp fertilizer emerged as the most powerful on the market. 

Don’t let its low NPK fool you. Its added nutrients pretty much made up for it. 

Made from the finest Ascophyllum Nodosum, it’s considered a miracle plant food. It also contains magnesium, calcium, boron, sodium, manganese, and iron. 

And the best thing is…

…its liquid form, of course! This made it much easier for us to use it. Additionally, you only need a very small amount that you’ll dilute in water, and it’ll be powerful enough to resurrect a dying plant. 

We love an economical liquid fertilizer!

And because I used it not only on my potted plants but also on the lawn, I was able to consume a quarter of a gallon in just a month. I still had a lot left. 

This liquid kelp can be applied to the plant in its every growth stage, increasing the concentration as you go forward. 

Now, here’s what’s cooler…

…the most remarkable thing that we’ve witnessed using this was my old and dying tomato plant being resurrected into its original deep green after being yellowish brown for so long and barely yielding any fruit!

After a couple of months, the plants doubled in size, even the lawn grasses. We soon found out that it also stabilizes the plants’ chlorophyll to bring back and maintain its rich green color. 

You can use it as a strong fertilizer or you can also use it diluted in water as a spray for the leaves. 

Still new to gardening? Why not get some spikes? 

Spike fertilizers have just recently been a favorite of mine because of their ease of use. Weatherly 50 Count Organics Fertilizer Spikes are, by far, the most powerful organic spike fertilizers today.

This lightweight package comes in a resealable pack so you can safely store them away after using. 

It has a bit of a strong odor, so I make sure to bury them well into the soil so they won’t smell. 

Now, you might notice that some spikes come in smaller pieces, perhaps after being mishandled during shipping. But looking on the positive side, I was glad that I will also be able to use these for my smaller potted plants. 

This pack has 50 spikes, which lasted for months as I first used it for small to medium vegetable plants. 

That being said…

…it’s also quite perfect for trees and shrubs. Just make sure to observe proper spacing between the spikes. 

The cool thing about this is that it’s slow-release. This is made so in order to prevent chemical run-out, especially on fields or soil that are unstable. 

But unlike most slow release fertilizers, it is absorbed rather quickly into the soil and the plants. We saw immediate results in a matter of just four days!

Aside from that…

…it’s also remarkably easy to use without any mess at all, making it quite perfect for beginners. 

No overturning of soil, no diluting, not even measuring! The spikes were pre-measured, so I knew my plants are getting the perfect amount of balanced nutrients that they need to grow. 

Literally, all you’ll need to do is stick it into the soil beside your plant and push it down. 

Just a warning, though: this is another canine favorite and has a tendency to be dug out by your furry friends. What I do is just push it deeper into the ground until it’s not that noticeable to the dogs anymore. 

Don’t be discouraged if, one day, you’ll smell its fishy odor on your porch along with your delivery package. 

The truth is, this fish emulsion is as strong as it smells. 

Okay, don’t be scared. 

Upon opening the package, I won’t deny that the air was filled with the smell of a fish market. So make sure to open it outdoors. 

But later on, the smell got diffused when it was finally diluted in water. Just don’t let it get to your fingers!

On the other hand…

…upon using it for almost half a year, we all concluded that it’s pretty strong and efficient. 

Fertilizer application was very easy and it comes with comprehensive instructions on its packaging so there won’t be any problem even if you’re a newbie. 

You can use it as a spray, and even as a compost tea. And the best part? I only needed very small amounts, so one bottle lasted longer than I expected. If you only have smaller plants or container plants, then it would last even longer. 

What’s cooler…

…it was able to resurrect even my most yellow plant in a matter of weeks! Furthermore, I also noticed that the plants kept on bearing fruit and flowering even when their seasons had already passed. 

Now, that’s kinda epic and it secured a place on my gardening shelf for sure.