Welcome to the world of homesteading in the city. I am your tour guide on the ins and outs of growing food in your backyard. A decade ago, I began my quest to grow better, tastier food right in our backyard. It is a journey. After ten years, I am still learning what works. When you figure out a system that works, I feel it is important to pass that knowledge on to the next person. In ten years of experimentation, I have the top five organic fertilizers to grow bigger vegetables in your backyard garden. Let me save you some time and share my farming know how.

Prepare Your Soil

Don’t underestimate the importance of dirt in growing vegetables. Your garden soil is the birthplace of all your plant babies. Before you place a seed or a seedling into the ground, you must prepare the environment. I recommend using compost to start, and each year, add 4-6 inches of compost to the top of your bed. Adding new every year keeps everything fresh and loose, giving the roots a welcoming place to grow. Now it is time to add nutrients into the soil that will break down over time and feed your plants as they do.

My go-to soil amendments are Blood Meal and Bone Meal. Blood Meal gives a healthy dose of nitrogen, increasing stem and leaf growth. When you think of nitrogen, think green. Bone Meal gives a boost of phosphorous, which increases bloom production. In the garden, flowers equal food.

Start Planting

All those wonderful nutrients we added to the soil will take time to break down, but our poor plant babies need food now. After years of patiently waiting for the soil’s nutrients to do all the work, I discovered water soluble fertilizer. These lovely concoctions are pure magic! As soon as your plants feel comfy in the ground, it is time to pull out the Fox Farm Grow Big liquid fertilizer. I swear your plants will double in size in a matter of days. It is as if fairy dust kissed your garden.

Once those plants are strong, healthy, and green, we switch gears to the Fox Farm Tiger Bloom liquid fertilizer – more magic in a bottle. Pour two cups of this fancy liquid food per plant and watch the blooms appear. Your garden will go from a pure green jungle to a colorful oasis in days. It was a happy accident that brought these two beauties into my life, and now I am hooked for life.

An All-Around Good Choice

Everyone needs a well-rounded all-purpose fertilizer as part of their garden routine. The fertilizer you choose when you are in the thick of the growing season and you want to keep your momentum going strong. My top choice again is a water-soluble fertilizer. I enjoy knowing that the plants can use the nutrients right away. I choose Dr. Earth Home Grown Tomato, Vegetable and Herb liquid fertilizer for my all-purpose needs. Dr. Earth also has a dry version of this fertilizer that can be added to your soil as a top dressing for a slower release of nutrients. Everything your plant babies need to thrive is in this little bottle. It covers all the plant food groups for happy, healthy living.

Happy Gardening!

Hopefully, these five suggestions will help you grow tasty organic food in your backyard. Gardening is a journey, not a destination. Be bold. Try new things. Take notes of what works and what doesn’t and then try again the next year. If you like to eat, try to grow it. Happy Gardening!