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Vegetable Fertiliser Buying Guide

Updated: October 2026

You are standing in front of a bag, a tub and a bottle that all promise bigger crops, and you want to know which one deserves a place on your raised bed or allotment. This vegetable fertiliser buying guide works through the criteria that decide the purchase, using seven amazon.co.uk listings as examples, and it does not name a winner. For product picks, go to the [best vegetable fertiliser](/hub/fertiliser-soil-and-bark-mulch/vegetable-fertiliser/sub/vegetable-fertiliser-best) page. To see every listing side by side, use the [vegetable fertiliser comparison](/hub/fertiliser-soil-and-bark-mulch/vegetable-fertiliser). By the end you should be able to check any listing against its pack and know which trade-off matters to you.

You are standing in front of a bag, a tub and a bottle that all promise bigger crops, and you want to know which one deserves a place on your raised bed or allotment.

Our top picks

Miracle-Gro Miracle-Gro All Purpose Liquid, 2 x 800 ml

Best overall

Miracle-Gro Miracle-Gro All Purpose Liquid, 2 x 800 ml
9.0/10about £7.98
View offer
Miracle-Gro Miracle-Gro Performance Organics Fruit & Veg, 1 kg

Rank 2

Miracle-Gro Miracle-Gro Performance Organics Fruit & Veg, 1 kg
9.5/10about £7.99
View offer
Westland Westland Growmore, 8 kg

Preis-Tipp

Westland Westland Growmore, 8 kg
8.6/10about £16.95
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.What does a vegetable fertiliser need to do?
  2. 2.How do you read the NPK numbers?
  3. 3.Granule, liquid or slow-release?
  4. 4.Organic, pets and packaging
  5. 5.A five-point checklist before you click

What does a vegetable fertiliser need to do?

The RHS says fruit and vegetables usually need some feeding, particularly in containers, and that good soil and compost come first. A feed is a top-up, not a soil replacement. Most of the seven listings here are all-purpose products. Only one gives its item type as a fruit and veg food. Four others name vegetables in the title, bullets or coverage field, and two do not name vegetables in the listing bullets at all. A Westland Growmore tub with 465 ratings collects praise from lawns and hedges as well as beds, so the stars tell you little about crops.

How do you read the NPK numbers?

Under the Fertilisers Regulations 1991 an NPK fertiliser declares nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. Leafy crops lean on nitrogen. Tomatoes, courgettes and beans reward a potassium-led feed once flowers form. Growmore is sold as 7-7-7, but the RHS explains that the figures are on an oxide basis, and as elements it is about 7-3.1-5.8. One Topline Growmore listing carries a ratio field of 20:20:20, while a reviewer says the tub is 7-7-7. A listing field is not a label declaration, so read the pack and use its rate. Manufacturer pages sometimes fill the gap. Performance Organics is given as NPK 8-5-5, the Miracle-Gro liquid as 7-3-5, and Westland Boost as 17.8-7-15.5. Those figures sit outside the amazon.co.uk listings.
Miracle-Gro Miracle-Gro All Purpose Liquid, 2 x 800 ml

Testsieger

Miracle-Gro Miracle-Gro All Purpose Liquid, 2 x 800 ml
9.0/10about £7.98
View offer

Granule, liquid or slow-release?

Granules feed for weeks, liquids need repeating every one to two weeks, and slow-release granules claim months from one application. Where the crop grows decides the format, and the granular versus liquid page makes that choice in full. The cheapest bag per kilogram is not always the cheapest per application. Westland Growmore 8 kg is about £2.12 per kg and, at 70 g per square metre, around 15p per square metre. Westland Boost 2 kg is about £5.82 per kg and, at 50 g on the manufacturer's page, around 29p. Performance Organics is about £7.99 per kg and, at 75 to 125 g, roughly 60p to £1.00. That is arithmetic on listing prices and manufacturer rates, not a test. Compare a liquid by the dilution on the pack.

Organic, pets and packaging

An organic claim is the seller's wording, not a certification we have checked. Only the Performance Organics listing makes one, and reviewers report a strong smell and, in two reviews, mould when granules stay on the surface. Two titles say pet or child friendly. We have not tested that. One Growmore reviewer says their dogs like the product. Store the pack out of reach and keep pets off until you have watered the feed in. Split tubs and spilled granules recur on the Westland Growmore, Topline Growmore and Westland Boost listings. Open an 8 kg tub on delivery. Two reviewers of the 800 ml pack said a bottle looked part-filled.

A five-point checklist before you click

Before you pay, check five things: the listing names vegetables and the reviews are from crop growers; the NPK is on the pack, not only in a listing field; the price is per application, not only per kilogram; the format fits the plot; and you can live with the smell, the packaging and storing it away from pets. The Products Compared editorial team set these checks out on 15 October 2026 from the listings and public UK guidance, without a garden trial. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

Common questions

What do the three numbers on a fertiliser pack mean?
They are the percentages of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. Nitrogen supports leafy growth, phosphorus supports roots and potassium supports flowers and fruit. For some products, such as Growmore, the label figures are on an oxide basis, so the element figures differ from the headline numbers.
Can I use all-purpose plant food on vegetables?
Often yes, but check the pack. Some all-purpose products name vegetables on the label and some do not. Of the seven listings here, only one gives its item type as a fruit and veg food. Follow the pack's rate for vegetables, and do not rely on reviews from people feeding houseplants.
Is Growmore a balanced feed?
Not quite. It is labelled 7-7-7, but the RHS gives the element figures as about 7-3.1-5.8, so it is higher in nitrogen than in phosphorus. It suits preparing a bed and leafy crops, and fruiting crops may want a potassium-led feed once fruit sets.
Is organic fertiliser better for vegetables?
Not automatically. Organic feeds are slower, and the one organic-claim listing here smells and can mould on the surface. The better question is whether the feed matches your crop, your format and your soil. Your preference for organic products is a fair reason to choose one, as long as you know the trade-off.
Do I still need fertiliser if I add compost?
Possibly less. The RHS puts soil and compost first and warns against overfeeding. Mulching with compost, particularly on a no-dig bed, can supply much of what vegetables need. Hungry crops such as tomatoes in containers still usually benefit from a feed.
Is "pet friendly" on a listing something I can rely on?
No. It is a claim in the listing title, and we have not tested it. Keep any fertiliser out of reach, mix granules into the soil and call a vet if a pet eats some.

Related pages

Growmore for vegetables

Vegetable fertiliser or a universal feed

Vegetable fertiliser

Best Vegetable Fertiliser UK: Top Pick and Best Value

Granular vs Liquid Plant Food for UK Vegetable Beds

How to Feed Vegetables: Rates, Timing and Watering

Sources

Public UK and manufacturer sources used for this comparison; last accessed 15 October 2026.

  1. RHS, Fertilisers: Types and Uses (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  2. RHS, How to Feed Plants (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  3. The Fertilisers Regulations 1991 (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  4. Westland Garden Health, Growmore (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  5. Love The Garden, Miracle-Gro Performance Organics (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  6. Love The Garden, Miracle-Gro All Purpose Concentrate (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  7. Garden Health, Westland Boost Multi-Action Granules (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  8. Animal PoisonLine: Are fertilisers dangerous for dogs and cats? (retrieved 15 October 2026)