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How to Choose the Right Organic Products for Your Garden

Using just the right soil and plant food can make a big difference.

Have you heard the buzz? Not only is organic gardening beneficial for super-important pollinators like bees and butterflies, but it's also pretty darned easy. And despite the rumors, you don't have to settle for less when you choose to grow organically. In fact, when you grow with Miracle-Gro® Performance Organics® soils and plant foods, you'll be rewarded with up to twice the bounty—blooms or harvest, depending on what you're growing—compared to unfed plants. Bonus tip: To make things even easier when growing edibles, skip the seeds and plant strong, vigorous Bonnie Organics starter plants to set you firmly along the path to a great harvest.

Here's a handy guide to help you choose the best organic soil and plant food to get your garden growing.

The Right Organic Soil for You

To get your organic garden off to an impressive start, lay the foundation with spectacular soil that's ideal for how you plan to grow: in containers or raised beds, or right in the ground.

Your garden style: Containers

Your soil: Miracle-Gro® Performance Organics® All Purpose Container Mix

If you plan to plant in pots, starting with great soil is especially important since you're dealing with limited growing space. Garden soil is too heavy for use in containers—along with the frequent watering most pots need, such soil can compact, suffocating your plants' precious roots. Miracle-Gro® Performance Organics® All Purpose Container Mix, on the other hand, provides a light, fluffy, nutritious growing environment—perfect for developing strong root systems that easily absorb nutrients.

Your garden style: Raised beds

Your soil: Miracle-Gro® Performance Organics® Raised Bed Mix 

Blended with aged compost and specifically formulated for raised bed gardens, Miracle-Gro® Performance Organics® Raised Bed Mix offers a fabulous foundation to get maximum performance out of your raised beds. It's full of nutrients and is just the right weight and texture for raised bed growing. Not sure how much soil you'll need to fill your raised bed? Check out the chart on the bag—it will help you calculate just the right amount.

Your garden style: In-ground/traditional

Your soil: Miracle-Gro® Performance Organics® All-Purpose In-Ground Soil

Planting in-ground is a great way to both grow lots of food and cover your landscape with a riot of colorful blooms. Chances are, though, your existing soil —which may be rocky, clay-heavy, sandy, or just overworked—could use a bit of help. That's where Miracle-Gro® Performance Organics® All-Purpose In-Ground Soil comes in. To improve composition and nutrition, just mix 3 inches of this aged compost-enriched soil in with the top 6 inches of your native soil, and start planting.

The Right Organic Soil for You

Just like human babies, plant babies need just the right kind of food throughout the growing season to thrive—that's why feeding your plants with a specially designed fertilizer is so important.

Your plants: Veggies, herbs, and/or fruits

Your plant foods: Miracle-Gro® Performance Organics® Edibles Plant Nutrition or Miracle-Gro® Performance Organics® Edibles Plant Nutrition Granules 

If you love garden-to-table meals and grow loads of edibles like tomatoes, strawberries, and basil, pick a plant food that's designed to boost harvests. Thirty days after planting, apply Miracle-Gro® Performance Organics® Edibles Plant Nutrition Granules (which feeds plants continuously for up to 6 weeks when mixed in with the soil) or Miracle-Gro® Performance Organics® Edibles Plant Nutrition (a water-soluble fertilizer you'll want to apply every 7 days while watering). Both contain a mixture of natural and organic ingredients—including micronutrients to feed the soil along with your plants—that provides a balance of nutrition to give your edibles a terrific start. Be sure to continue to apply (following the directions!) throughout the growing season.

Your plants: Flowers

Your plant foods: Miracle-Gro® Performance Organics® Blooms Plant Nutrition or Miracle-Gro® Performance Organics® Blooms Plant Nutrition Granules 

Do you prefer to be surrounded by beautiful blossoms? We've got the perfect bloom boosters for your garden, too! To keep your flowers looking their loveliest all season long, feed them with water-soluble Miracle-Gro® Performance Organics® Blooms Plant Nutrition (apply once a week while watering) or continuous-release Miracle-Gro® Performance Organics™ Blooms Plant Nutrition Granules® (which feeds for up to 6 weeks), beginning a month after planting. Made with natural and organic ingredients, these two fertilizers are specifically formulated with key nutrients for flowering plants, plus contain micronutrients to feed the soil for a steady supply of nutrition. Whichever formula you choose, check the label and reapply as directed.

Your plants: A mix of edibles and flowers

Your plant foods:

Miracle-Gro® Performance Organics All Purpose Plant Nutrition® or Miracle-Gro® Performance Organics All Purpose Plant Nutrition Granules®

Growing a wonderful combination of flowers, herbs, and vegetables? Then all-purpose fertilizer is the right choice for you. A month after planting, treat your plants to a dose of Miracle-Gro® Performance Organics All Purpose Plant Nutrition Granules®, a continuous-release option that feeds for up to 6 weeks, or Miracle-Gro® Performance Organics All Purpose Plant Nutrition®, which can be applied weekly while you water. These two plant foods pack a powerful punch: They feed both the beneficial microbes in the soil and your plants for best growth. Don't forget to follow the label instructions and reapply when you need to.

See? Embracing organic gardening is easy—especially with Miracle-Gro® Performance Organics® products. With our super soil and outstanding organic fertilizers, you'll soon be an organic gardening guru. (Learn more about the benefits of organic gardening right here.) Plus, you'll feel great about your delicious, healthy harvests and beautiful bouquets—not to mention the fact that you're caring for the earth, too.