Garden
Growing vegetables, flowers, herbs, or a privacy hedge starts with the right supplies and a plan you can actually follow. We've gathered plant food, pest control, tools, and kits that work in real backyards.
Top categories
How to choose the right garden supplies for your yard
A garden that thrives starts before anything goes in the ground. No green thumb required. Just the right supplies and a little know-how.
Whether you're growing tomatoes on the patio or planting a full flower bed, a few smart choices up front save you time all season. Here's what to sort out first:
- Plant food matched to what you're growing. Vegetables want a balanced blend, focused on Nitrogen like 5-4-4. Flowers bloom bigger with extra potassium, like 4-4-6. Trees and shrubs need a formula built for woody growth.
- Pest control that targets the problem. Healthy plants and weekly scouting come first. When you do need to treat, neem oil and spinosad baits handle the usual suspects above ground, and bacteria-based grub control handles them below, without wiping out pollinators and other beneficial bugs.
- Tools that fit the job. A quality hand trowel and a sturdy weeder handle about 90% of everyday garden tasks. Add more as your garden grows.
- Soil support for the long haul. A vermicompost soil booster boosts soil microbes, improving water retention and nutrient uptake. In the long term, healthier soil pays off more than any single feeding.
Not sure what your beds are missing? Start with a garden soil test. It measures 15 soil metrics and identifies any deficiencies that need to be addressed.
Garden product types and how to pick the right ones
Liquid fertilizers absorb through the roots within days for a quick response. WonderFert All-Purpose Liquid Garden Fertilizer hooks up to your hose and covers up to 500 sq ft per bottle. It works on flowers, veggies, trees, and shrubs, indoors and out. Or mix it in a watering can for smaller areas or planters.
Granular fertilizers break down slowly and feed for 4 to 6 weeks per application. Veggie & Tomato Organic Garden Fertilizer is a 5-4-4 blend designed for edible beds. One 2 lb bag feeds up to 50 sq ft. of veggies. Flower & Rose Organic Garden Fertilizer runs 4-4-6, with extra potassium for fuller, more vibrant blooms.
Want one bag for everything? Sunday All-Purpose Plant Food Mix is a 6-3-7 blend that covers mixed beds, containers, trees, and shrubs. Browse the full plant food lineup to compare NPK ratios side by side.
Soil amendments and potting mixes build the ground your plants grow in. Our soil booster is a vermicompost tea made from worm castings to boost soil nutrients and nutrient uptake. Our Natural Moisture Potting soil blends sphagnum and peat moss with coir and ground limestone for an ideal balance of moisture retention and effective drainage that is vital for potted plants. Find both in garden soil.
Pest control products keep your garden productive without harsh chemicals. Start with healthy soil and a weekly check of your garden areas. When a problem does show up, reach for a targeted option. Monterey Garden Neem Oil handles aphids and mites, and it also treats fungal issues, all in one ready-to-use spray.
For grubs in garden soil, grubGONE! Biological Insect Control uses a naturally derived soil bacterium that targets grubs underground and won't harm pollinators above.
Hand tools are your everyday workhorses. Our pick for a multi-purpose tool, The Fiskars Hori Hori Planting Tool digs and cuts roots, and the etched markings on the blade measure planting depth. The DeWit Forged Hand Trowel uses Dutch forged steel that slices through packed soil and comes with a limited lifetime warranty. Shop every pick in garden tools.
Garden kits bundle liquid and granular formulas with soil amendment and a hose-end sprayer. The Complete Veggie & Flower Fertilizer Kit packs 5 formulas for all the areas of your garden. See all the bundles in garden kits.
When to feed your garden through the season
Timing matters as much as what you feed. Here's a simple schedule to follow:
- Early to mid-spring: Once the soil warms, work a granular fertilizer into the top 4 inches of your beds before planting. For tomatoes and other heavy feeders, mix 2 cups of Veggie & Tomato Organic Garden Fertilizer per 20 sq ft, then water it in.
- Spring through mid-summer: Reapply granular every 4 to 6 weeks during the growing season. Apply WonderFert liquids every 4 weeks, and Sunday Organics liquids every 1 to 2 weeks for mature plants. New transplants do best with weekly liquid feeding until they establish.
- Heat waves and drought: Skip feeding. Stressed plants can't take up nutrients well. Focus on deep, early-morning watering and let them recover before giving them nutrients.
- Trees and shrubs: Feed in spring once new growth appears. Don't fertilize woody plants in fall, since late nitrogen can delay dormancy and cause damage.
- Fall: Keep feeding vegetables and annuals while they're producing. Space applications further apart as temperatures drop.
Apply liquids in the morning or evening for best absorption. Water before and after granular applications so nutrients reach the root zone.
For pests, start scouting in spring. Walk your garden once a week and check the undersides of leaves. Most of what you find will be harmless or helpful, so treat only when a pest is actually causing damage. If aphids or mites take hold, spray Monterey Garden Neem Oil on the affected plants and reapply every 7 to 14 days as needed. Staying ahead in spring prevents bigger problems by midsummer. Japanese beetles attacking leaves means grubs will be attacking roots soon too. Use grubGONE! Biological Insect Control to catch root damage before it starts, and prevent leaf damage next season.
Why Sunday takes a different approach to garden care
Our garden fertilizers are pesticide-free and designed to build soil health, not just push fast growth. We tell you what's in them, like kelp meal, bone meal, potassium sulfate, and carbon-rich materials that build organic matter over time. Our soil booster brings beneficial soil microbes to the mix.
We also believe in testing before feeding. A garden soil test reads 15 metrics so you know what your beds actually need, no guesswork required.
And when it comes to pests, we start with the garden itself. Healthy soil grows plants that shrug off pest pressure. Most insects in your yard are beneficial, so the goal is balance, not elimination. Treatments are the last line of defense, rather than the first, and when you need one, it should be targeted to avoid harming beneficial insects.
Frequently asked questions about garden supplies
What garden supplies do I need to start a vegetable or flower garden?
You'll need a hand trowel for planting and a fertilizer matched to what you're growing. Add a pest control option to protect young plants if trouble shows up. Add a weeder and a pruner as your garden fills in, and you'll have the essentials covered.
What is the difference between plant food and fertilizer?
In everyday gardening, these terms mean the same thing. Fertilizers and plant food both deliver the main nutrients plants need. The three numbers on the label provides the NPK ratio, and our NPK in the Garden guide breaks down what each number does.
How do I protect my garden from pests without harsh chemicals?
Start with prevention. Clear debris and reduce standing moisture around beds. Check plants weekly so you catch problems early, and remember that most bugs you see are helping, not hurting. When you do need to treat, look for targeted options in garden pest control. Neem oil handles soft-bodied insects and fungal issues on contact. Bacteria-based grub control works in the soil where grubs feed, so it won't affect bees or butterflies visiting your flowers.
Which garden tools are essential for beginner gardeners?
Start with a hand trowel and a weeder, to cover planting and keeping beds clean. Or get the Hori Hori tool to cover both functions. A narrow transplant trowel helps when you're moving seedlings. A bypass pruner is worth adding once plants start growing, and a stand-up weed puller saves your back in larger garden areas. Find all of them in garden tools.
What garden products should I use at the start of the growing season?
Before planting, work a granular fertilizer into the top 4 inches of soil to build a nutrient base. Once transplants are in, begin liquid feeding on a 1 to 2 week schedule for the first month to encourage establishment. Early season is also the time to start scouting, so you can spot-treat with neem oil before aphid and mite populations build. If you're not sure what your soil needs, test it first.
Explore more garden products by category
- Plant food for liquid and granular fertilizers matched to vegetables, flowers, trees, and shrubs
- Garden pest control for neem oil, slug and snail bait, bacteria-based grub control, and other targeted options
- Garden tools for trowels, weeders, pruners, and planting essentials
- Tree & shrub for privacy screening, flowering shrubs, landscape plants, and tree care products
- Garden soil for potting mixes and soil boosters that improve your beds
- Garden kits for bundled solutions that take the guesswork out of getting started
Have a question about your garden, or need help picking the right fit? We've got your back.