When it comes to sourcing seasonal food, you can’t get more ‘locally-grown’ than your own backyard. When you use natural fertilizers and get rid of pests without poison, you are creating natural, organic food for your family (and probably the neighbors too!) Here are some top tips on creating natural fertilizers that will improve the yield of your veggie garden this summer.
Coffee Beans
Coffee grounds are a great natural fertilizer and they attract worms which help to aerate and fertilize the soil too. Used coffee grounds aren’t acidic so you can use them on all your crops. Coffee grounds help to keep slugs and snails away when they are sprinkled on top pf the soil.
Eggshells
Before you plant your seedlings, crush the eggshells into really small pieces and place them in the bottom of your hole. These eggshells will provide calcium for crops like tomatoes.
Bentonite Clay
Bentonite clay useful as a natural fertilizer. Crammed with over 60 minerals, it really helps with the healthy growth of plants. Bentonite clay can help retain water in particularly dry or sandy soil. It does make the soil slightly more alkaline, so avoid on crops that like acidity like berries.
Grass Clippings
This is a really wonderful source of nutrition for your garden and, when the clippings are spread on top of the soil, they also act as a mulch. This means that they keep moisture in, and prevent weeds from growing.
Banana Peels
These are a great source of potassium. Simply cut the peel into small pieces and put them straight into the holes before you plant your seedlings. You can also add them to your compost to improve the nutritional value.
Pee
Your composter should have a range of kitchen waste, grass clippings and other organic material. It should be well aerated and regularly turned. One thing you can do to add nitrogen is to occasionally pee in the composter. I know… but trust me, it works! Tomatoes are especially fond of nitrogen.
Burnt Wood Ash
Leftover fire ash is a great additive to your vegetable garden. The fire ashes are a natural resource and can be rich in minerals that are necessary for growing plants, provided that burnt wood had not been processed through a factory and was chemical free.
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