Strawberries are a delicious summer fruit that you can grow right in your own backyard. They’re pretty easy to grow and are well worth the effort.
Fertilizing your strawberries is one of the best ways to encourage huge harvests. Who wants to grow strawberries just to get a few tiny ones?
But if you’re like me, you prefer using organic fertilizer for edible plants. Inorganic fertilizers are great, but I definitely prefer organic fertilizers for food.
Properly fertilizing your strawberries is one of the easiest ways to ensure bountiful harvests, and organic fertilizers are safer for edible plants. In this guide, I’ll discuss the pros and cons of 5 awesome organic strawberry fertilizers, as well as some other tips and tricks on getting a bigger harvest.
In this guide, you’ll learn:
- Why you should fertilize your strawberries
- How to choose the right fertilizer for your strawberries
- Why organic fertilizer is good for edible plants
- And much more!
Below is a quick list of my favorite fertilizers for strawberries. Keep scrolling to learn more of my top tips to choose and use the best fertilizer for your strawberries.
| Image | Product | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
My Top Pick  | My Top Pick | EcoScraps For Organic Gardening Berry Plant Food
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| View on Amazon |
Best Pick For Improving Overall Soil Quality  | Best Pick For Improving Overall Soil Quality | Down To Earth All Natural Acid Mix Fertilizer
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| View on Amazon |
Best Budget Pick  | Best Budget Pick | Nature's Care Natural All-Purpose Water Soluble Plant Food
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| View on Amazon |
Best Pick To Harden Up Plants  | Best Pick To Harden Up Plants | Dr. Earth Acid Lovers Organic Fertilizer
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| View on Amazon |
Best Pick For A Large Berry Patch  | Best Pick For A Large Berry Patch | Jobe's Organics Fruit & Citrus Fertilizer
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| View on Amazon |
My Overall Top #1 Pick: EcoScraps For Organic Gardening Berry Plant Food
Even though I love all of these organic strawberry fertilizers, my favorite is EcoScraps For Organic Gardening Berry Plant Food.
This awesome fertilizer is designed to help keep food waste out of landfills by using recycled leftovers “from all parts of the food life cycle.” So you get to fertilize your strawberries while also helping out the environment. Win-win!
This fertilizer is formulated specifically for berries, so if you like summer fruit like I do, this one is definitely for you. I plan to use this on my blackberries, raspberries, and strawberries this summer. In fact, this amazing product is also my top pick for blackberry fertilizer.
The 4-5-4 nutrient composition is nice and gentle, yet still encourages flowering and fruiting. We’ll talk more on nutrient composition later, but just know that this formula is perfect for producing fuller harvests.
Another cool tidbit about this product is that each particle contains the same amount of nutrients. That pretty much means that you’re guaranteed to have a uniform application no matter how much or how little you use. No need to worry what nutrients your plant got!
Now that you know how awesome this product is, it’s time for you to learn all about what makes a great organic strawberry fertilizer! Keep reading to learn more about the other products I adore, as well as why you should invest in a high-quality fertilizer for your strawberries.
Top 5 Best Fertilizers For Strawberries
In a hurry? Check out our top 5 picks below! Keep reading to learn more about these wonderful fertilizers for your strawberries.
- EcoScraps For Organic Gardening Berry Plant Food (My Top Pick)
- Down To Earth All Natural Acid Mix Fertilizer (Best Pick For Improving Overall Soil Quality)
- Nature’s Care Natural All-Purpose Water Soluble Plant Food (Best Budget Pick)
- Dr. Earth Acid Lovers Organic Fertilizer (Best Pick To Harden Up Plants)
- Jobe’s Organics Fruit & Citrus Fertilizer (Best Pick For A Large Berry Patch)
Why Should You Invest In A High-Quality Fertilizer For Your Strawberries?
Strawberries are one of the easier berries to grow, and they’ll thrive just about anywhere as long as they get enough sun, but investing in a high-quality fertilizer for them will definitely improve your crop yield.
High-quality fertilizers will promote flowering and subsequent fruiting for your strawberries which, after all, is the whole point of growing them. Who wants to grow strawberries just to have mediocre fruit? Not me, that’s for sure!
Strawberries will grow pretty much anywhere, even in cinderblocks like in this awesome YouTube video:
I don’t know about you, but I’m definitely excited to try that out next summer! It also makes fertilizer application even easier, since you can reach each individual plant.
Strawberries love acidic soil, much like other berry plants. Where I live, the soil is already fairly acidic, but some places have very alkaline soil. Berry fertilizers tend to help acidify the soil and make your strawberries feel more at home.
Acidic fertilizers are great for other fruits like blueberries as well, but I recommend doing a soil pH test if you’ve never had one done. I know that I have acidic soil in my backyard, but it can be hard to tell. Since strawberries prefer acidity, knowing the pH of your soil will help you determine which fertilizer is right for them.
Like I said before, high-quality fertilizers are designed to promote fruiting, which means your strawberries might need quite a bit of nutrients. Lower-quality fertilizers can pack the same punch, but sometimes their nutrient composition is too harsh.
When the nutrients in fertilizer are too strong, they can burn and even kill your plant. And if you plan to grow your strawberries in cinderblocks like I do, this is an even bigger issue. In pots (or in this case, blocks), excess nutrients have nowhere to go but into your plant’s roots. This can overdose them and kill them.
Luckily for you, none of the fertilizers on this list will overdose your strawberries when used properly! They all have fairly gentle compositions, and most of them have a higher phosphorus number to promote fruiting.
There are three main nutrients in fertilizer: nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. All of them are vital in healthy plant growth, but they serve different purposes and allow your plant to grow in different ways. I’ll talk specifics later, but all you need to know right now is that phosphorus is the main ingredient for fruiting.
A high-quality fertilizer will have a balanced and specifically formulated ratio of nutrients. All of the fertilizers on this list are made just for strawberries and other berries, so you’ll get all the things your berries need, and none of the things they don’t.
Of course, you can buy fertilizers specific to just about any kind of plant: tropicals, vegetables, herbs, etc. If it grows in the ground, there’s a fertilizer for it (I take that back; there are fertilizers for air plants, too).
Keep reading to learn more about the specifics of choosing the right fertilizer for your strawberries for delicious fruit and more of it!
How to Pick the Best Fertilizer For Your Strawberries?
Composition
I know I mentioned some of the most important main components of fertilizer earlier, but an in-depth knowledge of fertilizer composition is vital for not only delicious strawberries but a healthy and abundant garden in general.
Like I touched on earlier, fertilizer is composed of three main ingredients: nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. Any fertilizer you buy will have three numbers representing these three ingredients (they look like this: 10-10-10).
A good fertilizer for your strawberries will have a higher phosphorus content since phosphorus is one of the main nutrients that promote flowering and fruiting. For example, my top pick on this list has a ratio of 4-5-4. It’s nice and gentle, but still effective since that phosphorus number is higher.
There’s no need to worry about the numbers on your fertilizer, though. A little more nitrogen is just fine for your strawberries—it’s actually good for them. As long as there’s a decent amount of phosphorus in there, you’ll have a wonderful crop.
Any of the fertilizers in this article is great for your strawberries and are designed specifically for berries in general. Want to know more about the nutrient composition of fertilizers and how that relates to maintaining a healthy garden? This article contains everything you need to know about selecting, calculating, and spreading fertilizer.
Where You’re Growing Your Strawberries
As you guys saw in that awesome YouTube video, you can grow your strawberries in some pretty funky ways. In cinderblocks, pots, hanging pots, windowboxes, you name it. The type of fertilizer you choose should be suitable for the location your strawberries are growing.
For large strawberry patches, I recommend a granular fertilizer since it’s easy to spread over a large chunk of land. You can just scoop up a handful and sprinkle it (although I recommend mixing it into the soil, I am definitely guilty of just chucking it over my plants and hoping for the best).
For strawberries in pots, cinder blocks, or various other containers, I recommend a liquid or water-soluble fertilizer. This way, when it’s watering day, you can just add it to the can and go. It’s easier than having to spread granules over each individual plant, and liquid fertilizers tend to be gentler, which is great for potted plants.
Both granular and liquid fertilizers are wonderful. Although I don’t have any pure-liquid products on this list, I did include water-soluble ones, which are pretty much the same thing.
No matter which route you choose to go, you’ll have some amazing results with any of these products. Choosing a granular or liquid-based product on where your strawberries are located might save you a little work, though!
My Reviews of the Best Fertilizers For Strawberries
1. EcoScraps For Organic Gardening Berry Plant Food (My Top Pick)
I can’t get enough of EcoScraps products, and I even love their motto. “Doing something good with the leftovers” is something everybody can do, but EcoScraps makes it easy!
Now, I know this product says it’s for blueberries and raspberries, but it’s great for strawberries, too.
The 4-5-4 nutrient formula is nice and gentle but still has enough phosphorus to promote fruiting. Hello, strawberries-right-off-the-bush!
As I mentioned before, EcoScraps makes their products with leftover food scraps, keeping waste out of landfills and chemicals out of your fertilizer.
Since it’s organic, it’s safe for pets and kids, although don’t let your toddler eat it like Cheerios. While it is non-toxic, it can definitely cause some upset tummies.
The only downside to this product is that it smells pretty good to dogs. I have a sniffer and she’s super into EcoScraps products. Luckily for me, my garden is behind a fence to where she can’t dig. If you have plants that are reachable to your dog, keep this in mind!
| PROS (+) | CONS (-) |
| + Safe for pets and kids + Gentle nutrient composition + Designed to increase crop yield + Good value for the amount of product you get + Environmentally friendly | – Dogs love the smell – It’s quite stinky to people; be sure to store it outside or in your shed |
2. Down To Earth All Natural Acid Mix Fertilizer (Best Pick To Improve Overall Soil Quality)
I know this product is marketed for blueberries, but it’s great for strawberries, too!
Berries love acidic soil—where I live, that’s not a problem, but for people with alkaline soils, it is. This acid mix will help your strawberries feel more at home, which will allow them to fruit more and grow stronger.
It improves the overall quality of your soil, which means you’ll notice the difference in all your berries for a few years.
Even though this is my high-end product, it comes in at about $4.00 per pound, which is definitely not bad for a product this awesome!
The biggest downside is the nutrient composition. The 4-3-6 ratio isn’t ideal for fruiting, so I would apply this pre-season to promote early green growth.
| PROS (+) | CONS (-) |
| + Good quantity for the price + Acidifies the soil + Improves overall soil quality + American-made | – Low phosphorus content – For larger patches, you need multiple boxes |
3. Nature’s Care Natural All-Purpose Water Soluble Plant Food (Best Budget Pick)
Told you there would be a water-soluble product on this list!
This all-purpose water-soluble plant food by Miracle-Gro is great for your strawberries. The brand is definitely trustworthy and since it’s water-soluble, it’s easy to use. It has a stronger nutrient formula, at 10-6-3, so it’s good for hardier or more established strawberries.
Now I know you’re thinking ‘hey, it’s the nitrogen content too high?’ Yes, you’re right, but this product does contain enough phosphorus to still promote fruiting. You will notice more leafy growth on your strawberries, but that isn’t a bad thing necessarily. More leaves = more photosynthesis = more strawberries!
The biggest downside is the frequency with which you have to use it. It’s recommended that you use it every 7-14 days, so if you have a large strawberry patch, this one might be kind of tedious to keep up with.
| PROS (+) | CONS (-) |
| + Easy to use + Trusted brand + Promotes leaf growth + Great for hardy strawberries + Water-soluble | – Needs to be used frequently – Not formulated specifically for berries |
4. Dr. Earth Acid Lovers Organic Fertilizer (Best Pick To Harden Up Plants)
Again, I know this fertilizer isn’t specifically labeled for strawberries, but it’s great for them anyways!
If you have more alkaline soil (you can check the approximate pH of your soil with these pH maps that span the whole continental U.S.) then I definitely recommend this product.
In general, I love Dr. Earth products, and they’ve never done me wrong. The 4-5-4 nutrient formula in this fertilizer will definitely encourage blooming and fruiting. It’s also designed to increase the durability of your plants so they weather storms better.
The biggest downside is the fact that furry friends love the smell of this, and I’m not just talking dogs. Squirrels and skunks have been reported to love it, too, so keep that in mind if you live in an area with a lot of woodland friends!
| PROS (+) | CONS (-) |
| + Formulated for acid-loving plants + Slow-releasing + Nutrient composition promotes blooming + Designed to harden up your plants | – Attracts wildlife – Not a vegan product |
5. Jobe’s Organics Fruit & Citrus Fertilizer (Best Pick For A Large Berry Patch)
I love Jobe’s products, and they almost always make my list thanks to their variety of products.
This fruit and citrus granular fertilizer is great for any and all fruit bushes, trees, and shrubs. It’s designed to produce more fruit, and who doesn’t want that?
Since it’s organic, you don’t have to worry too much about crusting or burning your plants. It’s also made with Biozome, which “helps your garden resist disease, insects, drought and other unfavorable conditions.” Sign me up!
The 3-5-5 nutrient ratio means more fruit, yay, and of course, you can rest easy knowing this is an organic product.
Lastly, this product is very budget-friendly, and that means it’s great for large berry patches. You’d only need to buy 2 or 3 bags to cover quite a lot of land!
The only downside to this product would be that it’s kind of stinky. If you’re growing strawberries in pots on your deck, patio, or balcony, this fertilizer definitely smells a bit when you water. Other than that, it’s fantastic!
| PROS (+) | CONS (-) |
| + Promotes fruiting + Hardens your plant for poor weather conditions + Gentle NPK ratio + Quick results | – A little stinky – Should be kept away from dogs (they love the smell!) |
My Top Pick: EcoScraps For Organic Gardening Berry Plant Food
In my opinion, you can’t find a better fertilizer for your strawberries than EcoScraps For Organic Gardening Berry Plant Food. (Even if it’s quite the mouthful!)
I always recommend this brand not only for their superior products but also for their commitment to curbing the amount of food waste that goes into landfills. Purchasing this fertilizer is kind of like giving mother nature a hug.
The 4-5-4 nutrient composition is perfect for any and all strawberries and promotes fruiting so you can make homemade strawberry jam right in your own kitchen (seriously, Smuckers is nothing compared to the taste of homemade jam).
It’s great for all berries, and I recommend it as a gentle, organic raspberry fertilizer as well. So if you have multiple types of berries in your patch, this is a fantastic product for you.
And of course, it’s organic and all-natural, so it won’t harm your pets if they manage to get ahold of it, even if it does give them a tummy ache. This fertilizer will help your strawberries reach their full potential, and you’ll be amazed at the delicious results!
Final Thoughts On The Best Fertilizers For Strawberries
Strawberries are a delicious addition to any garden, and easy to care for, too. They taste amazing in jams and jellies, dipped in chocolate, put on cereal or in yogurt, or right off the plant (that’s how I like them). I love going out to the garden and coming back with a whole basket full of them!
With proper fertilizer, you’ll be growing an absurd amount of strawberries practically overnight. They’re delicious and nutritious, and you’ll save a fortune not having to buy them at the grocery store.
The right fertilizer can and will help your strawberries thrive to their fullest potential, providing you with a bountiful harvest. I hope you enjoy finding creative ways to use your abundance of strawberries this season!