A healthy, flourishing vegetable garden makes for an excellent way to provide nutritious foods to your family without the need for mass-produced grocery store products. To grow the healthiest veggies and fruits, fertilizing your plants organically is the way to go, but how do you do it successfully?
To organically fertilize a vegetable garden, follow these steps:
- Choose an organic fertilizer.
- Regularly test your soil and homemade fertilizer.
- Consistently apply fertilizer in the spring.
This article will go over all of the best resources for organically fertilizing your vegetable garden, when and how often to apply organic fertilizer, and the benefits of using organic over synthetic fertilizers. Read on, and your organic vegetable garden will be abundant and bountiful in no time!
1. Choose an Organic Fertilizer
As you prepare your soil for a new gardening season, you’ll want to create a fertilizer plan for supporting your vegetable garden organically. There are many organic fertilizer options that you can use for your vegetable garden.
Depending on what type of plants you are growing, you may even want to use more than one resource to provide the best nutrients for each plant’s unique nutrient needs.
Some of the factors you’ll want to consider when choosing an organic fertilizer are:
- How the fertilizer affects the soil’s pH level
- What plants the fertilizer is best used with
- Whether the fertilizer is store-bought or homemade
All of these considerations will play an important role in deciding which fertilizer type is right for you.
Here is a helpful table that breaks down each of these points for some of the most commonly used organic fertilizers:
| Type of Organic Fertilizer | pH Level | Best for Use With | Homemade or Store-Bought? |
| Coffee Grounds | Acidic-Neutral | Acid-loving plants like strawberries, broccoli, celery | Homemade |
| Organic Compost | Neutral | All-purpose | Homemade |
| Banana Peels | Alkaline | Peppers, tomatoes, roses | Homemade |
| Fish Tank Water | Neutral | Green, leafy plants | Store-bought |
| Alfalfa Meal | Alkaline | Shrubs, perennial flowers, asparagus | Store-bought |
| Cottonseed Meal | Acidic | Acid-loving vegetables | Homemade or store-bought |
| Animal Manure | Alkaline | Pumpkins, squash, eggplant, cabbage | Store-bought |
| Blood Meal | Acidic | Fast growing vegetables like cucumbers and tomatoes | Store-bought |
| Liquid Kelp | Acidic | Acid loving vegetables | Store-bought |
| Earthworm Castings | Neutral | all-purpose | Homemade |
| Grass Clippings | Acidic | Cauliflower and other veggies | Store-bought |
| All-Purpose Organic Fertilizer | Varies | All-purpose | Homemade |
| Wood Ash | Alkaline | Sage, lavender | Home made |
Each of these organic fertilizing resources has its own pros and cons and is ideal for different environments and plant types.
Let’s take a closer look at each of these resources, how they work, and what the best methods are for applying them to your vegetable garden:
Coffee Grounds
Coffee grounds are a slightly acidic compound perfect for balancing soil pH and delivering nitrogen to your growing vegetables. Nitrogen is an essential nutrient in vegetable gardens, as it is a key component of amino acids, which are the building blocks of proteins.
By encouraging the growth of microorganisms in the soil, balancing pH levels, and improving water retention, coffee grounds can be beneficial for any type of vegetable garden.
Coffee grounds start out acidic, but once applied in the soil as a fertilizer, most of their acidity gets lost. So, at the end of the day, their pH level can be labeled as fairly neutral.
While adding this type of organic fertilizer to your veggie garden may slightly increase the soil’s pH, the effect shouldn’t be too extreme. Because of this, coffee grounds are appropriate for the fertilization of both acidic and alkaline vegetable plants.
If you are an avid coffee drinker, all you have to do is save your leftover coffee grounds and use them to organically fertilize your vegetable garden. However, even if you’re not much of a coffee enthusiast, all you have to do is walk over to your local coffee shop and ask if they can give you their used grounds.
Most establishments will be happy to give their used coffee grounds away for free or by charging a negligible fee since they’ll likely be tossed anyway.
How to Use Coffee Grounds as Fertilizer
To apply coffee grounds to your vegetable garden, there are two main options for distribution:
- Direct application to soil
- Watering your garden with coffee grounds “tea”
To apply coffee grounds directly to the soil, you can simply sprinkle them to cover the entire space. Typically, you’ll want to add about 1 inch (2.5 cm) of the coffee grounds to the soil and then carefully use your gloved hands or a hand rake. Make sure to incorporate the grounds at least a few inches deep into the soil.
Once incorporated, water the soil thoroughly. This will encourage the coffee grounds to begin releasing nitrogen and other essential minerals and nutrients. Coffee grounds are naturally a fairly slow-release fertilizer, distributing nutrients a little bit at a time over the course of several days or weeks.
Organic Compost Fertilizer
Organic compost is a multipurpose resource and is incredibly effective for gently fertilizing nearly any type of outdoor gardening space. Because you can make organic compost at home with materials you probably already have lying around the house, this organic fertilizer option is incredibly convenient and very affordable.
To make organic compost, you’ll need to set up a compost pile somewhere convenient in your yard. The ideal space will be somewhat shaded and well-draining, with partial exposure to the sun.
Organic compost can be made using food waste like banana peels, coffee grounds, apple cores, etc., as well as yard waste like grass clippings and deteriorating leaves.
Over time, these combined organic materials will break down and create a nutrient-rich compost that is excellent for amending and refreshing soil, as well as gently fertilizing your vegetables. Interestingly, you can put toxic plants in your compost as well.
How to Use Organic Compost
To apply home-grown, organic compost to your vegetable garden, you’ll want to be proactive. Before you plant vegetables for the growing season, apply the compost to the soil and mix thoroughly. This will create a healthy, nutrient-filled environment for the plants to grow in.
Usually, about an inch (2.54 cm) of compost will do the trick, mixed into the soil 2-4 inches (5-10 cm) down.
If your vegetables are already planted, or if you find that you need to apply more throughout the growing season, you can add about a ½ inch (1.3 cm) of additional compost to the top of the soil and let its nutrients sink in naturally.
Compost can also be used effectively as mulch, protecting and insulating your roots, as well as working as a pest and weed preventer!
Banana Peels
Some gardeners love using banana peels to fertilize their vegetable gardens. These nutrient-full peels are chock-full of calcium, potassium, and phosphorus – all elements that will help your vegetables thrive this growing season.
Banana peels can be applied to your vegetable garden whole, or cut up. All of these methods are successful in incorporating a healthy amount of minerals and nutrients, rejuvenating your soil, and encouraging a bountiful harvest.
Because they decompose slowly over time, banana peels provide a slow-release distribution of nutrients- usually lasting several months.
Keep in mind that this approach comes with its own set of drawbacks.
For example, if you live in an area where pest invasions are common, leaving banana peels around your garden can significantly worsen the problem. If you’re worried about the aesthetics of your garden, you might be better off trying another solution (after all, you’ll have plenty to choose from by reading through the following sections).
With that said, many gardeners still swear by it, so if you’re still interested in giving this approach a go, here’s how you can do it:
How to Use Banana Peels
To apply the peels directly to your soil, cut them into ¼ inch (0.6 cm) sections and scatter them throughout your vegetable garden. It’s important to bury the peels into the soil, at least 3-4 inches (7-10 cm) deep, so it’s ideal to do this before you plant your vegetables for the following season.
The process can still be carried out after the vegetables have been planted; however, you’ll have to be careful not to damage the delicate root systems.
Place the entire banana peel (or two) near the base of the plant, partially covered by the soil, and allow it to decompose naturally. The whole peel will provide far more nutrients than the cut-up pieces, concentrated in one area- making it ideal for focusing on one nutrient-deficient plant.
Keep in mind that this approach can slow down the spread of nutrients even more, so only opt for this option if you don’t mind applying a very slow-release fertilizer.
Used Fish Tank Water
It might sound a little gross, but used fish tank water is one of the best resources for organically fertilizing your vegetable garden! Fish products like fish emulsion, fish bone meal, and liquid kelp all provide outstanding nutrient support to plants.
Still, fish tank water is an excellent choice because, if you have fish, it’s something that you already have and are probably just throwing away!
This type of water is full of – you guessed it – fish waste. To plants, this is an excellent source of essential nutrients. Fish waste contains significant amounts of phosphorus, potassium, and beneficial bacteria that will aid the growth of your plants.
When using fish tank water to fertilize your vegetable garden, however, you’ll want to make sure that the water doesn’t have any harmful contaminants in it. For example, if you’ve fish medication or any type of chemicals to alter the water’s pH, it’s best not to use the fish tank water on your plants.
Only use fish tank water that is clear of artificial chemical additives.
How to Use Fish Tank Water
Adding fish tank water to fertilize your vegetable garden is incredibly simple. All you need to do is clean out your fish tank as you normally would and set the used fish water aside instead of dumping it out.
Using a watering can or a spray bottle, liberally apply the fish tank water to your vegetable plants and wait for super-boosted growth to ensue!
Alfalfa Meal Fertilizer
Commonly used in agriculture fields for production support, alfalfa meal is an excellent gentle, slow distributor of nutrients and minerals for supporting healthy soil.
Alfalfa meal comes from finely ground alfalfa, which can be made at home (if you have livestock, you probably already have some) or purchased from the farm or garden store.
How to Apply Alfalfa Meal
Alfalfa meal is an effective fertilizer when applied to the soil prior to the planting season. Before you plant your vegetable seeds in the spring, combine a healthy amount of alfalfa with the soil. This will boost the soil’s nutrients, moderately distributing minimal amounts of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium over time.
Because alfalfa meal is so gentle, it’s excellent for all types of vegetable plants – particularly ones that grow slowly and respond poorly to high amounts of fertilizer like carrots and peas.
Cottonseed Meal Fertilizer
Cottonseed meal has become a super popular organic option for fertilizing due to the fact that it does not run any risk of burning plants. Its gentle nature fertilizes without chemical additives or excessive amounts of nitrogen, phosphorus, or potassium.
The leftover byproduct of cotton manufacturing, cottonseed, is usually used as animal feed- but also makes a great nutrient booster for vegetable gardens.
Cottonseed meal fertilizer is acidic, so acid-loving plants prefer the low pH environment it provides them.
How to Apply Cottonseed Meal Fertilizer
Cottonseed meal fertilizer should be applied similarly to alfalfa meal. It renders the best results when it is combined with the soil prior to planting vegetables for the season, but it can be added later on if you take care not to disturb your vegetable plants’ roots.
You can also use cottonseed effectively as mulch, providing extra protection to the vegetable plants’ root system. Most acid-loving plants have relatively shallow and delicate root systems – so mulch creates an additional layer above the soil that can prevent them from being unearthed and damaged.
Because of its mild nutrient distribution, cottonseed meal is best used in conjunction with another organic fertilizer like organic compost or a pre-packaged all-purpose fertilizer.
A healthy ratio for application is 4 to 6 cups (1-1.5 liters) of cottonseed meal for every cup of additional organic fertilizer. The two fertilizers can be applied separately, or combined and applied all at once.
Animal Manure Fertilizer
Animal waste is a somewhat controversial topic when it comes to fertilizing vegetable gardens. Some say it should never be used due to the risk of contamination, while others say that after it has aged appropriately, it becomes safe for use.
One of the most important considerations when using animal manure in a vegetable garden is what type of animal the waste comes from.
For example, you should never use dog or cat waste to fertilize. However, farm animals are usually a safe bet. The best animal manure for vegetable gardens arguably comes from grass-eating animals like rabbits, sheep, and cows.
Before applying manure as fertilizer, you should ensure that the animals were grass-fed organically and were not exposed to any chemical fertilizers or other harmful resources that could have been released into their waste, damaging your garden.
How to Apply Animal Manure Fertilizer to Your Garden
In contrast to most other fertilizers, which should be applied in early spring, animal manure should only be applied during the fall months as a nutrient boost to support your plants and soil through the winter.
When you apply animal manure as fertilizer in the fall, your vegetables will not be produced for several months, allowing the waste enough aging time to decrease the risk of contaminating any of the produce.
You can apply manure fertilizer in the spring only if it has first been sufficiently hot composted and aged over several months.
To apply the manure, you should first be sure to put on the proper protective gear. We suggest wearing heavy-duty gloves and a mask to prevent inhalation of any harmful bacteria.
The manure can then be applied by mixing it directly into the soil, usually at a ratio of 1 part manure to 3 parts soil. This amount can be adjusted depending on your soil’s needs, which you can determine by using a soil test kit.
Blood Meal Fertilizer
Blood meal is a great organic fertilizer for fruit and vegetable gardens, providing ample amounts of nitrogen, restoring soil health, and increasing your produce bounty. Made from the dried blood of butchered cattle, this organic resource is full of nutrients and naturally deters pests- an added bonus!
One drawback to using blood meal as fertilizer is the potential for attracting animals. Some animals (particularly dogs) are responsive to the smell of blood and would likely be attracted to your garden. This can pose all kinds of problems (like digging!), especially if your vegetable garden is easily accessible for the family dog.
How to Apply Blood Meal Fertilizer
When applying blood meal to your garden, you’ll want to sprinkle it gently over the soil and water it in. Take care to follow the manufacturer’s recommendations, as blood meal contains high amounts of nitrogen that can over-fertilize your plants if you aren’t careful.
You may even want to halve the recommendation the first time you apply, just to err on the side of caution.
Do not apply blood meal to vegetable plants that don’t need any additional nitrogen. Combining blood meal with equal parts bone meal and fish emulsion can help balance our nutrients and reduce the risk of burning due to excessive nitrogen.
Liquid Kelp Fertilizer
Liquid kelp fertilizer is basically cold-pressed seaweed. This fertilizer boosts the health of root systems and encourages flourishing growth with its mild N-P-K (nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium) rating and high levels of naturally occurring elemental nutrients.
Liquid kelp fertilizer is particularly helpful in vegetable gardens, as it has been known to improve flavor, color, size, and output, as well as increase the length of the growing season when applied consistently and regularly!
Additionally, liquid kelp fertilizer can even increase the amount of time that your produce will last after being harvested! If you apply the fertilizer about 10 days before you plan on picking it, it is likely to last far longer than it would have off the vine without the liquid kelp treatment.
How to Apply Liquid Kelp Fertilizer
Liquid kelp fertilizer is best applied as a foliar spray. Some store-bought fertilizers come already diluted, while others need to be mixed with water before being applied. Using a simple spray bottle or a liquid fertilizer sprayer, apply the fertilizer to the foliage of your vegetable plants.
After allowing the liquid kelp ample time to soak into the plants, water the garden, rinse the plants, and give the fertilizer a chance to soak into the soil.
Earthworm Castings
Earthworm castings, known plainly as worm poop, are probably one of the most popular and beneficial organic fertilizers for vegetable gardens. Because they have water-soluble nutrients, they quickly deliver a boost to the soil and root systems of your vegetable plants.
With a neutral pH, humic acid content, nitrogen minerals, and other essential nutrients, earthworm castings are a superfood for vegetable plants. Proven to increase yield, improve the strength of roots, protect from plant disease, and deter insects and other pests, earthworm castings are an excellent, organic source for fertilizing your vegetable garden.
How to Apply Earthworm Castings
To apply earthworm castings to your vegetable garden, there are a number of ways to integrate them into the soil.
You can mix the castings directly into the soil prior to planting your vegetable plants, top-dress the soil with an even layer of earthworm castings, or make an earthworm casting tea to water your plants with.
If you choose to incorporate the castings into your soil at the start of the season, before planting, you will want to use 1 part earthworm castings for every 4 parts soil. Combine well, and then plant your vegetables into the amended soil for boosted growth all season long.
When using the top-dressing method, sprinkle the castings evenly in a light layer over the soil. Your product’s packaging should indicate the proper amount to add when top-dressing the soil. Usually, about ½ an inch (1.3 cm) worth will do the trick, more heavily concentrated around the base of your vegetable plants.
To make earthworm casting tea, combine 5-6 cups (1-1½ liters) of castings with about 4 gallons (15 liters) of room temperature water. Allow the mixture to sit for 24-48 hours and then strain thoroughly.
Once strained, you can discard the earthworm castings and add water to the liquid “tea” until it reaches a light brown color. Finally, you can use this solution to water your vegetable garden.
Earthworm casting tea should be used quickly to yield the best results, so try not to make too much at any one time, as it doesn’t have a very long shelf life.
Grass Clippings
Grass clippings are an excellent organic fertilizer for vegetable gardens and are incredibly convenient. Without having to go out and purchase fertilizer from the home and garden store, you can fertilize your garden entirely with products you already have at home.
After mowing your lawn, rather than dumping the clippings into the yard waste bin, hang on to them! These clippings are extremely useful for improving the health of your soil, improving moisture retention, and preventing weed growth.
Nitrogen and potassium are heavily available in grass clippings, making them ideal for vegetable growth support.
How to Use Grass Clippings as Mulch
Grass clippings can be applied as mulch to your vegetable garden. Layer enough grass clippings to cover the soil, either dried or freshly cut. Over the next few days, you can layer it one or two more times to spread out the distribution of nitrogen in your soil.
Keep in mind that grass clippings are only considered an organic fertilizer source if the grass it came from was never treated with synthetic, chemical fertilizers. If the grass has chemical additives, they will transfer into your vegetable garden.
All-Purpose Organic Fertilizer
There’s a wide variety of organic fertilizers available on the internet or in home and garden stores that you can purchase already packaged and ready to go. If making your own fertilizer is not your thing, you can still grow an organically fertilized garden.
Organic vegetable garden fertilizers are commonly made in an all-purpose formula that is safe for any and all vegetable plants. These fertilizers are available in liquid, granular, powder, and spike forms and are entirely free of synthetic chemical additives.
How to Apply All-Purpose Organic Fertilizers
Application techniques for all-purpose organic fertilizers are dependent on the type of fertilizer you purchase. Granular, liquid, powder, and spike fertilizers are all applied in different ways.
Granular fertilizers are typically sprinkled on the soil and watered in, liquid fertilizer is poured into the ground or sprayed on foliage, spike fertilizers are dug into the soil, and powdered fertilizer can be applied directly to the soil or combined with water for foliar application.
Wood Ash
Wood ash is another organic fertilizer option that can be found in your home fire pit or fireplace. This resource is simply the ash remaining from burning wood and can be sprinkled into your garden soil to alter soil pH and provide healthy amounts of potassium to the plant system.
When using wood ash, you should ensure that the ash comes from untreated, clean wood without any harmful additives. If you are burning paper plates, trash, newspaper, or other extras, that ash should not be used in your soil.
How to Use Wood Ash
To apply wood ash to your vegetable garden, first, be sure to put on a pair of gardening gloves and a mask. Ash can dry out your hands and leave temporary discoloration; if the wind picks up, it can blow into your face and eyes.
Choose a mild day with low amounts or no wind to prevent the wood ash from blowing away. Sprinkle an even layer of wood ash to cover the soil, taking care to layer a fair amount around the base of the plant.
Be sure to choose a dry day, as wood ash is only truly beneficial when it is not wet. If it rains, the nutrients of the ash will be washed away, rendering your efforts useless.
You can learn a lot more about how wood ash works by reviewing my other article, where I also compare wood ash with urea fertilizers: Urea Fertilizer vs. Wood Ash (7 Differences)
2. Regularly Test Your Soil and Homemade Fertilizer
Before applying any type of organic fertilizer to your vegetable garden, you should test your soil to determine which nutrients are sufficient and which are deficient. Knowing this information will be helpful in determining the type of fertilizer to apply and matching the necessary nutrients with your fertilizer choice.
If you are making your own organic compost fertilizer, it’s also a good idea to test the compost. Compost pH levels and nutrient contents will vary depending on what you put in your compost heap and how well you maintain it, so it’s always helpful to run a test to make sure it matches the needs of your soil before application.
Store-bought organic fertilizer usually identifies the same nutrient levels included, while homemade fertilizers must be tested to determine nutrient content. At home, soil test kits and pH test strips are readily available, or you can have a gardening service conduct a soil test for you.
I recommend MySoil Soil Test Kit, available on Amazon.com, because it is quick, easy, and provides accurate results in a convenient online form. This soil test can be used to test your vegetable garden’s soil, but it can also conveniently be used in organic compost and other organic, homemade fertilizers to detect nutrient and pH levels.
3. Consistently Apply Fertilizer in the Spring
During the spring, you should establish a consistent routine for applying your organic fertilizer. The initial application should occur in early spring, shortly after the last freeze of the winter thaws.
After the initial application, you should continue to apply fertilizer about 1-2 times per week, depending on the fertilizer you are using and the unique needs of your vegetable plants. It is helpful to vegetable plants to have consistent reapplication to keep the nutrient levels in the soil steady.
Without steady application, the nutrients will be depleted, and the vegetable plants will struggle to keep up with solid produce output. Keep your organic fertilizer coming until late June for the most bountiful harvest, but do not fertilize in July or August.
Applying fertilizer in July or August will encourage too much growth right before the cold season. You can, however, apply one final fertilizing treatment in the fall before the cold sets in to provide extra nutrients to the soil for the dormant months.
Benefits of Using Organic Fertilizers in Vegetable Gardens
Fertilizing a vegetable garden with organic resources is beneficial for many reasons. The debate between organic and synthetic fertilizers has gone on for what seems like ages, with some people swearing by organic methods and others doubting the necessity of distinguishing between the two. So why should you fertilize a vegetable garden with organic resources?
Organic fertilizers are a great choice for vegetable gardens because they:
- Benefit both the plant system and the soil: One of the most significant benefits is that organic fertilizers strongly support both the plant system and the soil. In contrast, synthetic, chemical fertilizers direct their nutrients to the plant without doing much for the soil.
- Provide slow and steady nutrient distribution: Organic fertilizers release their nutrients at a slow, steady rate to promote healthy growth over time rather than rapidly releasing synthetic nutrients that boost growth quickly and then die off, causing more harm than good.
- Are less likely to damage the environment or water supply: Synthetic fertilizers are much more likely to run off of gardens and leak into water supplies or disrupt fragile ecosystems than organic fertilizers. Organic fertilizers are made of natural materials that usually pose little to no harm to the environment.
- Produce healthier, organic vegetable crops: Research has shown that organic vegetables pose a much lower risk of causing health problems in humans after consumption than vegetables grown with synthetic, chemical fertilizers.
Organic vs. Synthetic Fertilizers
Synthetic fertilizers have been commonly used for decades and are revered for their fast-acting, targeted fertilization. Organic fertilizers, however, have a slower reaction time but are arguably more effective due to their slow, steady release and soil support.
Let’s take a moment to compare the basic characteristics of both organic and synthetic fertilizers:
| Organic Fertilizer | Synthetic Fertilizer |
| Made of all-natural ingredients | Synthetically produced through chemical compounds |
| Often made with items found at home | Available for purchase |
| Slow, steady release of nutrients | Quick, intense release of nutrients |
| Less likely to harm the environment | Runs the risk of run-off and damaging ecosystems and water supply |
| Less likely to damage or burn plants | Overfertilization causes discoloration and burning to plants |
| Inexpensive or free if made at home | Fairly expensive |
When comparing synthetic and organic fertilizer methods and trying to choose between the two, you’ll need to consider your vegetable garden goals and the unique needs of your plants. For sustainable, long-lasting soil health and consistent plant growth, organic fertilizer is probably going to be your best choice.
On the other hand, if you’re seeking fast-acting results that will quickly get your vegetable garden back in shape, synthetic fertilizers are the way to go. The same can be said in those instances where you’re looking to add specific amounts of targeted nutrients to your soil. While organic fertilizers make for a great, healthy addition to your veggies, they simply aren’t fit to deliver specific results.
Whichever route you choose, make sure not to overdo it. This consideration is especially important if you’re opting for a synthetic fertilizer. Over-applying fertilizer can quickly lead to what we refer to as “fertilizer burn” which can severely harm the health of your precious plants.
Having said that, making sure that you’re following a strict, consistent schedule when it comes to fertilizing is also important. As long as soil tests keep coming back dissatisfactory, you’ll want to make sure that you’re taking action to fix any possible deficiencies.
My personal recommendation is to stick with organic fertilizing resources for your vegetable garden, beginning the growing season by amending the soil with organic compost and using coffee grounds, fish tank water, and other organic resources to maintain soil and plant health throughout the season. This approach will yield incredibly tasty, robust, well-grown vegetables without any harmful chemical additives.
Conclusion
Organically fertilizing your vegetable garden is an excellent choice, especially when you’re growing your own produce. To successfully fertilize your vegetables with an organic resource, you’ll need to conduct a soil test to discover what nutrients your soil is lacking and choose an organic product that will fulfill those nutrient needs.
Once you have chosen and applied an organic fertilizer, you will also need to continue to fertilize regularly throughout the growing season, applying one last treatment in the fall before the cold season begins. Your vegetables will be healthier and happier with consistent, organic fertilization!
