Welcome to our organic gardening hub. Here we research the products that grow a genuinely organic garden, from the soil up, then score each one out of 100 with our Organic Integrity Score. No brand pays to be featured or ranked.
Buying guides
Start here to compare the best options in each category at a glance.
- Best Organic Chicken Feed: organic feed gives organic-fed eggs, not certified organic eggs.
- Best Organic Potting Soil: OMRI-listed, microbe-rich mixes for containers and transplants.
- Best Organic Seed Starting Mix: OMRI-listed seed starters from Espoma, Coast of Maine, and Burpee.
- Best Organic Fertilizer: OMRI-listed granular and liquid feeds that build soil, not just plants.
- Best Organic Lawn Fertilizer: OMRI and CCOF slow-release organic lawn food that won’t burn.
- Best Organic Liquid Fertilizer: OMRI fish, seaweed, and plant liquid feeds that won’t burn.
- Best Organic Compost: living, biologically active composts and worm castings for richer soil.
- Best Organic Mulch: OMRI-listed undyed wood, pine straw, cocoa shell, and biodegradable weed barrier.
- Best Organic Vegetable Seeds: certified organic and heirloom seed you can trust and save.
- Best Organic Sprouting Seeds: pathogen-tested certified organic broccoli, alfalfa, and salad mixes.
- Best Natural Weed Killer: glyphosate-free, OMRI-listed sprays and pre-emergents, with honest guidance.
- Best Organic Neem Oil: OMRI-listed cold-pressed concentrates with real azadirachtin content.
What makes a garden genuinely organic
An organic garden is only as clean as its inputs, and the labels on those inputs are not all equally meaningful. When we research a gardening product, we weigh these first:
- OMRI Listed: the Organic Materials Review Institute verifies that a soil, fertilizer, or pest product is allowed in certified organic growing, the strongest signal in this category.
- Living soil biology: compost, worm castings, mycorrhizae, and beneficial microbes feed plants through the soil, which is the foundation of organic growing.
- Certified or heirloom seed: USDA-certified organic seed is grown without synthetic chemicals and is non-GMO, while open-pollinated heirlooms can be saved and replanted.
- Honest effectiveness: we are candid about trade-offs, like natural weed killers being contact killers that may need reapplication, so you know what to expect.
Read the full method on our How We Research and Rate page, and see how we make money.