I love gardening. As the coldest days drag on, I often dream of my thriving summer garden in my local community garden. Gardening is not only an incredibly rewarding hobby, but it also has a beneficial impact on your health. Spending time in the dirt can help you increase your physical activity while reducing stress, protect against dementia, fight heart disease, and more. Not to mention, when all is said and done, you have fresh produce at your fingertips.
However, it's no secret that gardening can quickly get expensive, especially if you're just starting out. First, you need to get the seedling or seed, then the supplies, soil, compost, and tools. It can add up before you know it. But there are a few ways to cut costs if you're on a budget. One way to save money is to use leftovers as fertilizer for your garden. There are some leftovers that you can use even if you don't have a compost bin. Here's what to use and how to do it.
1. Eggshell
Make an omelette or bake a cake? Don't rush to throw away those eggshells, they can be used in many different ways in your garden. If you have an almost intact eggshell, you can use it as a biodegradable starter "pot". Carefully cover with soil and seed of your choice, then plant in the ground once it has germinated (bonus points if you use an old egg carton as a medium). Even if you don't use them to nurse seedlings, you can add broken eggshells directly to the garden to strengthen the calcium in the soil. This is especially helpful for tomato and pepper plants, as it can help control flower rot. The sharp edges of the shell can also deter certain species of snails and slugs.
2Coffee grounds
If you're one of the many people who start their day with a hot cup of coffee, you've got plenty of fertilizer on hand. Coffee grounds can be added almost like mulch around the plants in your garden. Soil that is rich in nitrogen can help plants thrive, and soil can also help aerate the soil, improving drainage. Soil can also be added to houseplants, but they have a strong aroma and can lose their effectiveness over time. To reduce odors, mix soil with water and pour the mixture around the plant, or dig in and under the soil.
3. Banana peel
Banana is a gift that always comes if you have a garden. The pods can add nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus, calcium and magnesium to the soil, making them a powerful fertilizer. They can also help repel nasty pests like bed bugs. There are several ways to use banana peels in the garden. You can place them directly around the plant, can be dried and minced, or you can cut and bury 1 to 2 inches below the ground.
4. Orange peel
Not only has a wonderful aroma, but citrus peels can also add nutritional value and provide pest protection to your garden. Orange peels are rich in potassium, nitrogen, calcium and magnesium that can help your plants grow. Citrus peels also contain the compound dlimonene, which has been found to deter pests such as aphids. You can place the bark in the soil around the tree as well as the torn bark on a branch infested with aphids.
5. Nuts
Nuts are some of the healthiest foods to snack on, and their shell doesn't need to go to waste if you have a garden. Broken seed pods or pods can be placed around the plant as a thick, nutrient-rich mulch. They will provide a protective barrier to prevent weed growth and can help aerate the soil.
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