A garden that does well starts with dirt that is healthy. Using natural garden fertiliser not only makes the soil better, but it also helps the garden last for a long time. One of the best ways to feed your plants naturally, cut down on waste and make your yard healthier overall is to compost.

We at TN Nursery think that growing in an eco friendly way should begin with the soil. When you use compost as garden fertiliser, you give your plants organic nutrients that help them grow, taste better and bloom better. For flowers like Hepatica or colourful plants like Black Eyed Susan, compost gives them the natural boost they need to grow in a beautiful way.

Best Natural Fertilizer Options for Your Garden

It can be hard to pick the right garden fertiliser when there are so many to choose from. To fix your soil's balance, you need to find natural and organic methods that don't add harmful chemicals.

Here are some great natural garden fertiliser choices to think about:

  • Compost: Compost which is made from decayed organic matter makes the soil better by adding nutrients and improving the way it holds water.
  • Manure: When properly processed the animal waste is a rich organic fertiliser for plants that gives them nitrogen and other important nutrients.
  • Bone Meal: Bone meal helps plants grow strong roots which is great for flowering plants and bulbs.
  • Fish emulsion: A liquid fertiliser that works quickly and is made from waste fish. It feeds plants quickly.

You can till cover crops like clover or ryegrass back into the ground to add nutrients naturally. This is called green manure.

It's especially important to stay away from synthetic chemicals when picking fertiliser for vegetable gardens. Natural fertilisers make sure that your food stays safe, healthy and free of dangerous chemicals.

Simple Steps to Fertilize Your Garden Naturally with Compost

It is easy affordable and efficient to learn how to fertilise garden areas with compost. Compost is alive stuff that is full of good bacteria that help plants take in nutrients better.

To begin, follow these steps:

  • Gather organic waste: Gather kitchen scraps like eggshells, coffee grounds, fruit peels and veggie ends.
  • Add garden waste: Like small twigs grass clippings and dried leaves.
  • Keep the Compost Wet: Your compost pile should stay a little wet like a sponge that has been dried out.
  • Turn it often: Every two weeks mix the compost to make it break down faster.

If your compost gets dark, crumbly and smells like dirt, it's ready to be used as compost fertiliser.

Add 2–3 inches of compost around your plants or mix it into the soil's top few inches. For flowering plants like Hepatica compost makes the roots and blooms stronger and more colourful.

If you're growing food, compost fertiliser is a safe, nutrient dense way to feed your plants that will grow healthy, organic veggies without building up chemicals.

Garden Fertilizer Tips

Without the right time and method, even the best garden fertiliser won't work well. If you want to get the most out of natural fertilising, here are some tips:

  • Fertilise when the plants are growing: For best results, use soil or other organic materials in the spring and mid summer.
  • Don't use too much fertiliser: Too much fertiliser can burn plant roots and hurt good soil organisms.
  • Water after spreading: Always water your plants after spreading natural garden fertiliser to help the nutrients get to the roots.
  • Turn your compost: For balanced compost quality, mix nitrogen rich (green) materials with carbon rich (brown) ones.
  • Check the soil: Check the pH and nitrogen levels of your soil on a regular basis so that you can change how you fertilise as needed.

Instead of short bursts of growth from synthetic fertilisers, using organic fertiliser for plants like perennials, herbs and veggies ensures steady, ongoing health.

Compost vs Chemical Fertilizers - Why Go Natural

Chemical fertilisers may work quickly but over time they can remove organic matter from your soil. Natural garden fertiliser on the other hand adds healthy organisms to the soil that keep it fertile year after year.

The best reason to use compost is this:

  1. Good for the environment: Composting cuts down on trash that ends up in landfills and turns organic matter back into dirt
  2. It makes the structure of the soil better: Compost has a rich crumbly substance that holds water and nutrients well
  3. Promotes Microbial Life: Compost fertiliser contains healthy bacteria that aid in nutrient uptake
  4. Safe for All Plants: Compost is safe for all plants whether they are in your garden or a flower like the Black Eyed Susan

It saves you money because you won't have to buy as much store bought fertiliser when you make your own.

Chemical fertilisers may seem useful, but they can damage the land and pollute water runoff. On the other hand, natural composting methods encourage sustainability and long term plant health.

FAQs

How to choose a fertilizer for flower gardens?

If you want to naturally improve the soil and grow healthy flowers, use natural garden fertilisers like bone meal or compost.

What is garden fertilizer?

A garden fertiliser gives plants the nutrients they need to become strong, healthy and useful.

How to use the fertilizers to grow a garden?

Spread the compost out evenly around the base of your plants and work it into the dirt just a little. After that, water to start releasing nutrients.

When to use fertilizers in garden?

Add fertilisers at the beginning of spring, when plants are starting to grow and again in the middle of the season to keep them healthy.

Which fertilizer is best for home plants?

Because it is soft and free of chemicals, an organic fertiliser for plants, like compost or fish emulsion, is ideal for potted or indoor plants.

Tammy Sons, Horticulture Expert

Written by Tammy Sons

Tammy Sons is a horticulture expert and the CEO of TN Nursery, specializing in native plants, perennials, ferns, and sustainable gardening. With more than 35 years of hands-on growing experience, she has helped gardeners and restoration teams across the country build thriving, pollinator-friendly landscapes.

Learn more about Tammy →