These Tomato Fertilizers Will Have You Seeing Red (in Your Garden, Of Course) (2024)

Our Top Picks

Whether you're starting tomatoes from seeds, planting young tomatoes just purchased from the nursery, or nourishing established plants that are getting ready—or have already started—to bear fruit, this organic offering from Burpee should give you the juicy, healthy, abundant crop of tomatoes you're hoping for.

This granular fertilizer (granules you sprinkle on the ground) is ideal for tomatoes growing in the ground or in containers. It gives the plants an immediate boost of nutrients and then keeps on feeding them for three more months; that's almost an entire season.

We love that this fertilizer includes not only the big three nutrients—3 percent nitrogen, 6 percent phosphorus, and 4 percent potassium, which make up the NPK ratio of 3-6-4—but also contains 5 percent calcium. Calcium is important for healthy tomato plant growth and helps ward off the dreaded blossom end rot, a disease that causes brown, leathery, rotten patches on the developing tomatoes. Plus, the fertilizer contains beneficial microbes that help improve soil fertility.

You can also use this effective fertilizer on all of your other vegetable crops, making it a versatile addition to your gardening supplies. It's easy to apply: Just mix the granules into the soil around your tomato or other vegetable plants, following the container guidelines for the amounts of fertilizer to use.

Follow by watering your plants thoroughly to begin dissolving the granules into nourishment the plant roots can easily absorb. You'll be rewarded with healthy green leaves and stems along with an abundance of delicious tomatoes or other veggies.

_{Form: Granular | NPK Ratio: 3-6-4 | Application Frequency: 3 months | Organic Certification: Yes}

When you want to give your established tomatoes a fast-acting dose of nutrients, then a concentrated liquid fertilizer, like this organic option from Neptune's Harvest, is a great way to do so.

For tomatoes and other veggies, you'll need to mix 1/8 cup of fertilizer into every gallon of water. Cut those numbers in half if you're using a small watering can for a potted tomato. Once mixed, pour the solution onto the soil around your plant, and repeat every 1 to 2 weeks. Your tomatoes will show their appreciation with a flush of juicy red fruits and healthy green leaves.

The NPK ratio of this fish-based fertilizer is 2-4-2, which encourages lush growth and strong roots that can tolerate some drought or temperature fluctuations. But because this is a quick-acting formula best suited to established plants, if your tomato plants are just getting started, you should also add a slow-release formula with a higher level of nutrients.

Like most organic fertilizers, you'll notice some odor initially—your pets might as well—but it will fade quickly once soaked into the soil.

_{Form: Liquid | NPK Ratio: 2-4-2 | Application Frequency: 2 weeks | Organic Certification: Yes}

Whether you're growing an heirloom tomato like Brandywine or a newer hybrid like Bodacious, you'll find that this organic fertilizer from Espoma can help keep your tomato plants strong and healthy while bearing delicious fruit. This is a granular formula that can be used on newly planted tomatoes, established plants, or in containers.

This nutrient-rich fertilizer has a tomato-boosting NPK ratio of 3-4-6, but it additionally has 8 percent calcium for even better results, as well as a reduced chance of blossom end rot. Plus, it's loaded with beneficial microbes to improve soil quality and increase the rate at which plant roots can absorb nutrients. Application is as easy as mixing the granules into the soil, following the package guidelines for amounts, and then watering thoroughly.

You can also use it to feed other vegetables, including peppers and green beans. It should be applied every two weeks during the growing season for the best results. Like many organic fertilizers, it has some odor initially, but that fades away after a day or two.

_{Form: Granular | NPK Ratio: 3-4-6 | Application Frequency: 2 weeks | Organic Certification: Yes}

If your tomatoes are growing in containers on the patio, rather than in the ground, this fertilizer from Miracle Gro is a quick and simple solution. Just tear open one of the individual packets, pour it into a watering can along with 1 gallon of water, and mix. Then go ahead and water your tomatoes, flowers, herbs, vegetables, or any other potted plants that could use a quick-acting fertilizer to improve their root and foliage health, as well as to encourage plenty of blooms. You can even use it for houseplants by using just half a packet per watering can.

The NPK ratio of this water-soluble fertilizer is 24-8-16, which is especially good for improving the vitality of your younger plants, although it will improve the health of tomatoes and other plants at any stage of growth. If you are using this as your sole fertilizer, you will need to apply it weekly for the best results. Since it's so easy to use, however, that shouldn't take much more time than your regular watering sessions.

_{Form: Water-soluble granular | NPK Ratio: 24-8-16 | Application Frequency: Weekly | Organic Certification: No}

Derived from meat, feather, bone, and blood meal, this tomato fertilizer is a great organic option if you have a few tomato plants or a small patch of veggies. The NPK ratio is 8-5-5, and it also contains 4 percent calcium to help ward off blossom end rot. This is a granular fertilizer that can be used on tomatoes growing in containers, raised beds, or in the ground and will continue to feed your plants for up to 3 months.

While that's very nourishing to your tomato plants—as well as other vegetables—the initial odor might also be attractive to pets. In other words, if you have a cat or dog, be sure to keep them away until the odor dissipates, which is generally within a day or two.

One of our few quibbles with this product is that it does require a fairly large amount of fertilizer per plant, so it's best used by gardeners who don't have extensive vegetable gardens or rows of tomato plants. Still, you'll love the results—green, healthy stems and leaves adorned with plenty of red, juicy tomatoes.

_{Form: Granular | NPK Ratio: 8-5-5 | Application Frequency: 3 months | Organic Certification: Yes}

If you aren't interested in mixing, measuring, or spreading fertilizer, but you still want healthy and productive tomato plants, it's hard to beat the ease of these fertilizer spikes from Jobe's. While you probably wouldn't use them for a very extensive tomato garden, they are perfect for growers with just a few plants.

To use, simply push two spikes into the soil around each tomato plant, making sure the spikes are evenly spaced and are 6 to 8 inches away from the plant's central stem, and water well. Your plants will be fed for the next 8 weeks.

The NPK ratio of these spikes, 6-18-6, is high in phosphorus, which is especially helpful for nourishing young tomato plants, but the balance of all three nutrients—nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium—keeps your tomato plants thriving through their entire growth cycle.

One downside, however, is that these deliver nutrients slowly, so you won't see a rapid rush of growth. And while the high level of phosphorus is good for tomatoes, it isn't as ideal for some other vegetables, so these spikes are best used for tomato growing only.

_{Form: Spike | NPK Ratio: 6-18-6 | Application Frequency: 8 weeks | Organic Certification: No}

If you want a fertilizer that you can use for your entire garden, not just your tomatoes, then this "smart release" formulation from Osmocote will make your gardening life much easier. With a well-balanced NPK ratio of 14-14-14, it encourages healthy root growth, strong foliage, and the development of flowers and fruit. Use it on your tomatoes, other vegetables, flowers, even trees and shrubs.

The coating over each granule dissolves slowly to release nutrients at a steady rate without burning the plant, making this one of the safer fertilizers out there. This is a slow-release fertilizer that continues to feed your plants for up to 4 months, almost your entire growing season. Still, you might want to add a dose or two of a faster-acting fertilizer to stimulate the lushest tomato growth.

Keep in mind that this fertilizer is best used for plants growing in the ground, rather than tomatoes in a container. Application is simple: Sprinkle it onto the soil following package guidelines for amounts, work it into the top few inches of soil, and water well. Then, sit back and watch your garden grow.

_{Form: Granular | NPK Ratio: 14-14-14 | Application Frequency: 4 months | Organic Certification: No}

When your tomatoes or other vegetables, as well as fruits or herbs, need a quick dose of nutrients, this organic water-soluble fertilizer from Miracle Gro can give it to them. This fast-acting fertilizer is very easily absorbed by the plants' roots, so you'll see healthy growth and plenty of fruit quickly. However, for the best results, you do need to apply it weekly.

The fertilizer has an NPK ratio of 9-4-12, as well as 4.5 percent calcium to help ward off blossom end rot, along with other nutrients for the healthiest growth, strongest roots, and juiciest tomatoes. While this is a good fertilizer for tomatoes and vegetables at any stage of development, it's particularly suited for young plants that are actively growing, as its higher ratio of nitrogen helps encourage healthy leaf and vine growth, while the higher level of potassium promotes lots of flowers, which of course eventually become tomatoes.

To use it, you'll need to mix the granules with water, where they will almost immediately dissolve. You can mix the fertilizer in a watering can if you only have a few plants, or use a Miracle Gro Garden Feeder hose attachment if you have a large bed of tomatoes and veggies to feed.

_{Form: Water-soluble granules | NPK Ratio: 9-4-12 | Application Frequency: Weekly | Organic Certification: Yes}

This water-soluble fertilizer from Jack's Classic has an unusually high NPK ratio of 12-15-30, so it's a great choice for gardeners with poor soil. It encourages healthy leaves, strong roots, and plenty of blossoms to turn into tomatoes. It's also ideal for other vining veggies, including peppers, squash, zucchini, cucumber, and eggplant.

The fertilizer also includes magnesium to improve soil quality, as well as calcium to protect tomatoes from blossom end rot. To use it, you'll need to mix the powdery granules into water, where they will quickly dissolve. Then go ahead and water your plants, being sure to soak the soil rather than the leaves. You'll see fast results with this effective fertilizer, which should be applied weekly.

Note that it might be a little strong if your tomatoes are planted in rich potting soil or ground soil that's been heavily amended with compost. If that's your situation, it's still a great fertilizer, but you might want to cut the recommended amounts in half to avoid burning your plants.

_{Form: Water-soluble granular | NPK Ratio: 12-15-30 | Application Frequency: Weekly | Organic Certification: No}

Final Verdict

Our best overall pick is the Burpee Organic Tomato + Vegetable Plant Food. This organic, slow-release granular fertilizer contains extra calcium to ward off blossom end rot, and it is good for tomato plants, as well as other vegetables, through all stages of development. If you are looking for fast-acting plant food, then we recommend Miracle Gro Performance Organics Edibles, our best fast-acting pick, which dissolves immediately when mixed with water and gives plant roots the quick boost of nutrients they crave.

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