Yes, you can use the same fertilizer for all vegetables in most cases. A balanced 10-10-10 or similar product works fine for your mixed garden and keeps your routine simple.
I used to buy different products for every crop type. My shed had six bags of specialty fertilizers that cost me a fortune. Now I use one universal vegetable fertilizer for most things. I add extra nitrogen only where my plants need it.
Your vegetables fall into groups based on how much food they need. Heavy feeders like tomatoes, corn, and squash want lots of nutrients. Medium feeders like peppers and carrots need less. Light feeders like beans and peas need the least.
An all-purpose garden fertilizer with balanced numbers handles all three groups for you. Heavy feeders just need more of it or extra doses through the season. Light feeders get less or you skip them after your first application.
Beans and peas make their own nitrogen from the air through root bacteria. Adding nitrogen to these crops wastes your money and can hurt your harvest. They grow fine with just the phosphorus and potassium from your balanced product.
I give my beans no nitrogen at all after the first soil prep. They still produce huge harvests every year. Too much nitrogen makes them grow lots of leaves but fewer pods. This was a $30 lesson I learned my second season.
Leafy greens like lettuce and spinach love extra nitrogen. You can add a high nitrogen boost to these beds on top of your base fertilizer. I use blood meal or fish emulsion for my salad beds every 2-3 weeks during their short season.
Your tomatoes need balanced feeding through their long growing season. A 10-10-10 keeps them happy from planting through first harvest. Switch to a lower nitrogen option after fruits set to push ripening instead of more leaf growth.
Root crops like carrots and beets prefer phosphorus over nitrogen. Too much nitrogen makes your carrots fork and split underground. A balanced fertilizer has enough phosphorus for good roots without extra work on your part.
Start with one balanced product and watch your results. Add targeted supplements only where you see plants struggling. Most gardeners find that one good fertilizer handles their whole vegetable patch just fine.
Keep your routine simple so you stick with it all season. A system with many products leads to missed feedings. Your plants do better with regular balanced meals than with a perfect but forgotten plan.
Read the full article: Fertilizing Vegetable Garden: Boost Your Harvest
