In this video, I share the best fertilizers for vegetables and rank them from best to worst. There are so many fertilizer products on the market that it can be very confusing to figure out how to fertilize a vegetable garden the best way. Which fertilizers are good and which are bad? This video breaks it down so you can fertilize a garden the best way for your situation.
The following fertilizing products* were featured in this video:
Jobe’s Organic Fruit & Nut (4lbs): https://amzn.to/4cWfOgy
Jobe’s Organic Vegetable Fertilizer (4lbs): https://amzn.to/45YHmh2
Espoma PlantTone All Purpose Fertilizer (36lb): https://amzn.to/4dgECQ9
Dr. Earth Pure Gold (3lb): https://amzn.to/3MFBzpz
Espoma Bone Meal (10lb): https://amzn.to/3X9s88a
True Organic Blood Meal (3lb): https://amzn.to/3yNzMLB
Crab & Lobster Shell Meal (4lb): https://amzn.to/3T61EkZ
Azomite (44lb): https://amzn.to/3YT8pdM
Alaska Fish Fertilizer (Gallon): https://amzn.to/3XP5EHU
MiracleGro Organics Edibles (1.5lbs): https://amzn.to/4fY5IxC
MiracleGro Tomato (1.5lb): https://amzn.to/3yPwyHz
Jack’s All Purpose 20-20-20 (1.5lb): https://amzn.to/3MQ4I2A
Jack’s Blossom Booster 10-30-20 (1.5lb): https://amzn.to/3KyPTzg
Grow More All Purpose 20-20-20 (25lb): https://amzn.to/4dj0Gtg
Full Amazon Store: https://www.amazon.com/shop/themillennialgardener
TABLE OF CONTENTS
0:00 The Best Garden Fertilizer For Vegetables
1:09 Fertilizer Rank #1
4:52 Fertilizer Rank #2
8:52 Fertilizer Rank #3
12:31 Fertilizer Rank #4
16:30 Fertilizer Rank #5
19:41 Fertilizer Rank #6
23:15 Adventures With Dale
If you have any questions about how to fertilize plants at home in your garden, want to know about the things I grow in my raised bed vegetable garden and edible landscaping food forest, are looking for more gardening tips and tricks and garden hacks, have questions about vegetable gardening and organic gardening in general, or want to share some DIY and “how to” garden tips and gardening hacks of your own, please ask in the Comments below!
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ABOUT MY GARDEN
Location: Southeastern NC, Brunswick County (Wilmington area)
34.1°N Latitude
Zone 8B
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© The Millennial Gardener
#gardening #garden #gardeningtips #fertilizer #fertilizing
50 Comments
If you found this video helpful, please "Like" it and share it to help increase its reach! Thanks for watching 😊TIMESTAMPS for convenience:
0:00 The Best Garden Fertilizer For Vegetables
1:09 Fertilizer Rank #1
4:52 Fertilizer Rank #2
8:52 Fertilizer Rank #3
12:31 Fertilizer Rank #4
16:30 Fertilizer Rank #5
19:41 Fertilizer Rank #6
23:15 Adventures With Dale
Go to the store and buy the biggest bag of natural lump charcoal. Place the bag in your garage/basement and step on it for 5 min a day for a week (dime to quarter size chunks are ideal). Then dump it in your organic compost bin at a 50/50 ratio & add your favorite all-purpose organic amendments and fertilizers (add some basalt rock dust as well) and let it compost for next season. You now have the best biochar for pennies! Mix it into your soil at a 20% ratio. You'll find that your plants will not be yellow after heavy rain fall anymore. If they do yellow, try 40% (I've seen 80% biochar work very well).
Biochar acts like millions of microscopic cruise ships 🛳 for microbiology, micronutrients, and minerals to take refuge in (absorb into) during heavy rain fall. Biochar also provides less stress to your plants' roots during times of drought, because its water holding capacity is substantial due to the tremendous surface area charcoal has (1 gram of charcoal has the surface area of 32,000 square feet!). Biochar has been my #1 amendment & fertilizer here in sandy South East Florida for over a decade, and It should be yours as well. 🍻
Best explainer, I have subscribed. Another channel I love to watch after Project Farm.
I think it's solid advice. Nice job.
I gotta disagree with the fact that you recommended adding synthetic fertilizer to potted plants just because the pots aren't organic. You can get organic nitrogen fertilizer that is easily bioavailable to the plants, synthetics are not necessary. Why would you want to use even more oil byproducts on top of the plastic container made from oil byproduct, you're just adding greenhouse emissions for no reason. Plus it really screws the soil ecology, making it harder in the future for the soil to break down nutrients for your plants. Organics will feed even the highest yielding plants like tomatoes if done correctly.
Just found your channel. Huge fan already thanks.:)
Garden Fundamentals 12 GardenProducts thay waste your Money is interesting about fertilizer such as bone meal and fish meal.
I've watched many videos on gardening and especially tomatoes. I learned more today from watching two of your videos than I had from most the other ones I have seen.
Subscribed to yours today .
Thank you !!!!
I did find it helpful. Your videos always help us. I have a question. Have you ever used REV plant fertilizer? I order it every spring to help reduce transplant shock. I just wondered what you thought about it if you’ve used it.
What do you think of compound tea as a fertilizer?
Always great content. Thank you for this helpful information and CLEAR EXPLANATIONS 🙂
The comments about the pelletized lawn fertilizer were new info to me. I have used bone meal mostly for planting fall perennials, bulb, etc. I will probably use it in my vegetable garden next year as well as the usual manure/humus mix added in. The price of bone meal has really gone up since the last time I purchased it. Makes me want to make my own. Have you ever done that? If so, a video on that would be great,
p.s. Dale is a really sweet, beautiful dog 🙂
i feel that you did a really nice job
I swear by Dr. Earth. Applied at transplant on the roots for the mycorrhizal fungi.
Is it really helping. . . IDK.
I do know 3 years after transplanting the success rate is 80%+. Generally, if I lose a tree, it's my fault. Too much or not enough water.
I’m new to gardening the things I have (kale, collards, salad greens, onions) and I swear I learned so much in this 1 video. I went right to the store once I watched and then re watched again and again. I wish I knew this guy 😂😂😂 he’s amazing and broke it down to “ the very last compound “ for me anyway… IM HOLLERING THANK YOU ALL THE WAY FROM ZONE 8b ( VIRGINIA BEACH)
Thankful for this video I’m not sure if my first comment was added I didn’t see it so I’m leaving the second comment. Thank you so much you broke this down to the very last compound. As soon as I watched this video, I went to the store and then I watched it over and over and took note. Amazing hollering THANK YOU all the way from zone 8b.
Beautiful video! 👌🏾Good communication skill. I found this video helpful! Thanks for sharing ❤❤I have subscribed too🙂
Well, one size definitely does not fit all. It’s a challenge for most backyard gardeners that we don’t want a whole shed full of different fertilizers. You make great points and watching your videos is always a learning experience. Love the job at the HOA.
I wait a week or so after fertilizing or amending and then water with activated yeast which speeds up and breaks down the nutrients for better and faster absorption.
What fertilizer do you use for your garlic bulbs?
Honestly don’t know what I would do without your channel! Thank you for having videos for all my questions
This info is top notch. Thank you.
Dr earth doesn’t have manure in it.
Most Organic's in soil dry soil are safe to the plant as well. But non-organic's can burn the roots with concentrate the dryer the soil gets. Rewatering IS TOO LATE to fix that as well.
Lowes recently had Penns 4lb all purpose fertilizer in the clearance section for $3 a bag so i now have a lifetime supply of fertilizer haha
I saw a good video about store bought compost, its mostly junk and fillers plastic all kids if junk
Very best gardening video I've seen in 2 years! Thank you.
Just saw Alaska fish fertilizer at Walmart today for 23.99 per gal. (1/23/2025) Have you seen it anywhere else cheaper?
How much compost is too much? I built raised beds last year and when I went to a soils place to buy a truckload of soil to fill them. So I filled them with straight compost and planted a variety of vegetables. They grew ok but I would not say they thrived. Someone told me I need some actual soil in the mix. The soil here in western Washington is glacial moraine – sandy soil with various sized round potato-like rocks in it.
Medina #1
Four times less? So the label is wrong and it has 20% nitrogen since the Jobes had 5%? There is NO SUCH THING as "times less"! It's a mathematical impossibility!
Why is it so complicated I just want to grow some fruits and vegetables
Thanks so much for this information! I've never been told this . Amazing 😊
What about Brawndo? Word on the street is it's got what plants crave. Its got electrolytes! 😄
I have watched a lot of gardening videos, you are the first gardener to explain fertilizers , great job explaining the differences. I will watch it again and take notes this time. The fact you are down to earth and explain everything in a way I can understand what, why and when. Thank YOU for the great advice. Oh by the way, I am so sorry you live in a HOA, I have seen nightmare videos, I would never ever live where someone thinks they have a right to tell me what I can do in my own yard after I paid thousands to have my own home and space.
POTASSIUM SHORTAGE LOOMS!
The U.S. imports nearly all our potassium (potash) from Canada. The other major suppliers are China, Russia, and Germany.
Trump is threatening tariffs on all Canadian imports. (Primary U.S. imports from Canada are potash, oil, hudro-electrical power, aluminum, lumber, some foods, minerals like zinc and high quality diamonds.)
Please, alert your neighbors, friends, family, 4 H, Grange, etc. Ask them to tell their Congressional Rep and Senators what this tariff will do to your farm or ranch, and to US ag.
Canada was insulted by Trump's plan to annex Canada. They WILL reciprocate with boycotts, selective tariffs, snd perhaps also export taxes (all of which will raise prices and reduce availability of Canadian products.
Rural America got Trump elected. He knows nothing about Ag, and has disabled most US agencies which do know. Educating Trump anout the impact of his tariffs on US ag. is going to be the job of the oeople who got him elected: rural America.
Is the jobes fruit and nut is for fruit plants
Good review. How do you know if your plants need fertilizer? Is your soil depleted of some nutrient(s)? Can you tell by looking at it? Can fertilization hurt your plants? I suggest that before you add anything to your soil get it tested. You will find out what, if anything ,needs to be put in your soil. The wrong fertilizer or too much can hurt plant growth and health.
I would like to add that we do not fertilizer plants, we fertilize the soil. It is up to each plant to absorb the nutrients it needs. Nutrient absorption depends on a plants nutrient needs, water, fungi, weather conditions and other microscopic organisms in the soil. Healthy soil itself is a living organism. It is a universe under our feet, it is a complex universe.
I agree that composting is the best way to increase soil nutrients. Compost is just various dead organic materials in a partially decomposed state. Wood, leaves, kitchen scraps etc.will decompose into smaller particles and become what we call soil. The smallest particles are so called humus (some soil scientists are no longer using this word).
A warning about using fish fertilizers. Some fish fertilizers are made from fish scrapes while other are made from menhaden fish that are caught by the millions, then turned into fertilizer. The oceans are already depleted of fish, there is not reason to buy from a company that is killing fish just to made fertilizer. If you use it try to find out how it is made by that manufacturer.
😊
How often should we give our container plants the Alaskan fish fertilizer?
I personally don't like anything by miracle grow I try to make my all my own things needed in my gardens making my own compost I hunt & fish find shells on the beaches use ash from my fire pits love organic growing love the challenge and knowing where all my stuff comes from the earth it's self✌️🫶😊🌱
14:09 can I feed my seedlings this fertilizer? Even when they are young. Like only got their first set of leaves 🌱
Love Trifecta from MI gardener
I learn so much watching this channel.
We have a lot of green thumbs in my family, I've never planted anything. I decided to make a small garden this spring so I've been watching YouTube videos for 2 months. I haven't heard anyone explain it like this video. I didn't think I needed to buy compost until I saw this. My dirt looks good in 9b. At 1st I didn't think you were interesting when a came across a pee video (LOL) but I will watch all your video and learn from you. Thanks from N.O in 9b.
Leafy greens amoung other vegtables found in the grocery store are not grown in soil. So you can grow without soil.
The amount of work and time you put into this video, and all of your videos. Is truly Amazing. Thank you for giving us a channel we can go to find answers to our questions. Also thank you for getting me into growing Figs.
Just watched your video yesterday and have a question. Have you ever used Mycorrhizae and what are your thoughts on this product. I use mushroon compost, black gold cow manure/humus, esponma organics products ( planttone, azelea/hydrangea) for specific plants, and last year started using worm castings when planting plants (tomatoes, peppers etc). I do use Miracle grow when they look like they need a little help. I also use bone meal in spring for perrenials. I haven't tried blood meal so maybe this is something I need to research and add. Please let me know your thoughts on mycorrhizae. I just want take my soil rich and nutrishes for my garden and plants. Thanks, love this video as always.
New subscriber! Im doing research on how to grow food before i begins planning. Thank you for the video.
Alaska fish fertilizer attract raccoons if using outdoors.. just heads up. I will need an alternative.