What is the best organic compost for growing vegetables?
The best compost for growing vegetables should give plants a healthy start while supporting the soil and providing the right growing environment for strong roots.
If you grow organically, look for a compost that is peat-free, made from traceable ingredients and independently approved for organic growing. It's also worth thinking beyond the compost itself: hungry vegetables such as tomatoes, cucumbers and courgettes will need additional nutrition as they grow and begin producing fruit.
Natural Grower Natural Compost (50L) is Approved Organic by the Soil Association, Approved Organic and Biodynamic by the Biodynamic Association, and certified Vegan by the Vegan Society.
It is 100% peat-free, plant-based, green-waste-free and chemical-free, and is made here in Leicestershire.
Use it for vegetable beds, containers, reusable growbags, herbs and kitchen-garden pots.
What should you look for in compost for vegetables?
When you're growing something you're going to eat, it's understandable to want to know what you're putting into the soil around it.
For organic vegetable growing, we recommend looking for:
- Independent approval for organic growing
- Peat-free ingredients
- Good moisture retention and drainage
- A consistent growing medium
- Traceable ingredients
- A plan for feeding hungry crops later in the season
At Natural Grower, knowing what goes into our products has always mattered to us.
Our Natural Compost is plant-based and contains no peat or green waste. It is independently approved for organic growing and works alongside our organic plant feeds, giving vegetable gardeners a simple way to nurture plants while looking after the soil they grow in.
Why use Natural Grower compost for vegetables?
Approved for organic growing
Natural Compost is Approved Organic by the Soil Association and Approved Organic and Biodynamic by the Biodynamic Association. It is also certified Vegan by the Vegan Society.
100% peat-free
Our compost contains no peat, helping gardeners grow while protecting the valuable habitats and carbon stores associated with peatlands.
Plant-based and green-waste-free
Natural Compost is made using our own unique plant-based feed rather than composted green waste.
Made in Leicestershire
Natural Grower was created on our family farm in Leicestershire, and traceability has been an important part of what we do from the beginning.
Designed to work with our organic feeds
Compost gives vegetables their growing environment, but hungry and fruiting plants often need additional nutrition as the season progresses. Our Natural Liquid Fertiliser and Natural Plant Feed & Soil Improver provide two ways of feeding them organically.
Independently tested by Which?
Natural Grower Natural Compost has also been independently tested.
In Which?'s 2025 compost for patio pots test, Natural Grower Natural Compost for Organic Growers achieved the maximum 5 stars for pelargonium size and weight.
Although the test used pelargoniums rather than vegetables, plant size and weight accounted for 65% of the pelargonium assessment and provides useful independent evidence of the compost's performance as a container growing medium.
For vegetable gardeners growing in pots and containers, that's reassuring independent evidence alongside our organic, biodynamic and vegan accreditations.
How to use Natural Compost for vegetables
Vegetable beds
Work Natural Compost gently into the surface of your soil or spread it over the surface as a mulch. Adding organic matter helps support soil structure and creates a healthier environment for plant roots and soil life.
Tomatoes and cucumbers in pots or reusable growbags
Fill with Natural Compost and plant as usual. As these hungry plants become established and begin flowering and fruiting, supplement their nutrition with Natural Liquid Fertiliser.
Vegetables in containers
Natural Compost can be used directly in containers for vegetables and herbs. Make sure containers have adequate drainage and remember that plants growing in pots rely on you for both water and nutrients.
Raised beds
Natural Compost can form part of the organic matter added to raised beds. For filling larger beds, combine it with good-quality topsoil and organic matter rather than filling the entire bed with multipurpose compost.
No-dig vegetable beds
Natural Compost and Natural Plant Feed & Soil Improver can be used to add organic matter to the surface of established vegetable beds without digging it into the soil.
Seeds and young seedlings
For fine seeds and delicate seedlings, sieve Natural Compost or mix it 50:50 with soil, sand or coir to create a finer growing medium.
When potting seedlings on, Natural Plant Feed & Soil Improver can be incorporated to provide slow-release nutrition as plants establish.
When should you start feeding vegetables?
Compost provides a growing medium and initial nutrition, but vegetables growing rapidly or producing fruit will often need additional feeding.
Tomatoes, cucumbers, courgettes and other fruiting crops are particularly hungry plants.
Natural Liquid Fertiliser (NPK 3.6-1.5-3.7)
Dilute 100ml in 4 litres of water. Feed outdoor plants weekly during the growing season and up to twice weekly as fruit is swelling.
Natural Plant Feed & Soil Improver (NPK 4.1-2.2-3)
Use when planting or apply around established plants as a nutritious mulch. As well as feeding plants, it adds organic matter to the soil.
This reflects the Natural Grower approach: feed the plant, but look after the soil too.
Shop compost + liquid feed bundle
Is organic compost particularly important for a vegetable garden?
For many organic gardeners, the answer is yes.
Vegetables are grown to be eaten, so knowing what has gone into the compost and fertilisers used around them can be particularly important.
Independent organic approval gives gardeners additional reassurance about the products they're using. But good vegetable growing isn't simply about choosing a bag labelled organic.
Healthy crops begin with healthy soil.
Adding organic matter, avoiding unnecessary chemicals, protecting soil structure and feeding the organisms living within the soil all contribute to a productive vegetable garden.
That's why our aim at Natural Grower isn't simply to grow bigger plants. It's to help gardeners create healthy, living soil that can support plants season after season.
Where can I buy Natural Grower organic compost for vegetables?
Natural Grower Natural Compost can be ordered directly from us online, together with our organic plant feeds and compost-and-fertiliser bundles.
Natural Grower is also available through selected UK retailers and online garden stockists, including B&Q, Homebase, Wilko, Waitrose, Crocus, Sarah Raven, Thompson & Morgan and Amazon.
Frequently asked questions
Is Natural Grower compost suitable for organic vegetable growing?
Yes. Natural Compost is Approved Organic by the Soil Association and Approved Organic and Biodynamic by the Biodynamic Association. It is also certified Vegan by the Vegan Society.
Can I use Natural Grower compost for tomatoes?
Yes. Use Natural Compost in pots and reusable growbags. Tomatoes are hungry plants, so supplement their nutrition with Natural Liquid Fertiliser as they grow and produce fruit.
Can I grow herbs in Natural Grower compost?
Yes. Natural Compost can be used for herbs grown in pots, containers and beds. Individual herbs can have different drainage and growing requirements, so these should also be taken into account.
Can I sow vegetable seeds in Natural Grower compost?
Yes. For fine seeds and young seedlings, we recommend sieving the compost or mixing it 50:50 with soil, sand or coir to create a finer growing medium.
Is Natural Grower compost peat-free?
Yes. Natural Compost is 100% peat-free.
Does Natural Grower compost contain green waste?
No. Natural Compost is green-waste-free and is made using our own unique plant-based feed.
Do vegetables need fertiliser as well as compost?
It depends on the crop and how long it is growing, but hungry and fruiting vegetables will generally benefit from additional feeding. Natural Liquid Fertiliser provides regular nutrition during the growing season, while Natural Plant Feed & Soil Improver provides slow-release nutrition and organic matter.
Has Natural Grower compost been independently tested?
Yes. Natural Grower Natural Compost for Organic Growers achieved the maximum 5 stars for pelargonium size and weight in Which?'s 2025 compost for patio pots test.
Grow vegetables by looking after your soil
Whether you're growing a few tomatoes on the patio or a full vegetable garden, healthy crops begin below the surface.
Give roots a good growing environment, add organic matter, feed when plants need it and keep looking after the soil.
Love your soil. Nurture your plants. Grow organically.
Shop Natural Compost · Shop natural liquid fertiliser · Shop Plant Feed & Soil Improver · View Compost & Fertiliser Bundles
Last updated: September 2026
