Tag: organic gardening

Natural fertilizer for organic gardening: DIY

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You don’t need to spend a fortune on boutique fertilizer for organic gardening. While there are plenty of store-bought options available, many of the best fertilizer ingredients are found right at home.

Here is a quick guide to the best DIY fertilizer for your organic garden:

Kitchen scraps

Some of the best organic fertilizers are found right in your kitchen trash. Instead of throwing everything away, try collecting your organic food waste and composting it. Your homemade fertilizer made from compost will provide plenty of nutrients to every plant in your organic garden.

Eggshells

Washed and crushed eggshells make a simple DIY fertilizer for plants that love calcium. In addition to providing this valuable mineral plants crave, the calcium carbonate in eggshells can also help lower the acidity of your garden soil.

Coffee grounds

If your plants prefer more acidic soil, coffee grounds are your perfect choice of DIY fertilizer. You can sprinkle used coffee grounds over the soil surface, or soak the grounds for a few days to make “plant coffee.”

Banana peels

Bananas and their peels are an excellent source of potassium. Some plants such as roses thrive with extra potassium in their environment. If you have an organic rose garden, bury banana peels in the top layer of soil to feed your blooms.

Garden weeds

No need for a yard waste bin – pesky weeds from your garden can actually help your plants grow when used as fertilizer. To prevent them from propagating and taking over your garden, however, create a “tea” by soaking pulled weeds in water for a week or more.

Grass clippings

Grass clippings are another form of yard waste you can put to good use instead of throwing them away. Collect the clippings from your lawn mower to create a DIY weed-blocking mulch layer for your garden soil.

Fallen leaves

Rather than throw away bags and bags of leaves in fall, use them as a DIY organic garden fertilizer. Leaves can benefit your garden by attracting earthworms, retaining moisture, lightening soil texture and providing trace minerals to the soil.

Manure

No matter the source, manure is rich in nitrogen and other key nutrients perfect for plants. If you have chickens, cows or horses, you have a free and plentiful supply of natural fertilizer at the ready.

 

Whether you’re growing flowers or a vegetable garden, keep these natural fertilizers in mind as an alternative to synthetic fertilizers. Not only will you be recycling valuable organic resources, you’ll be saving money at the same time.

5 Ways to kill weeds naturally

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A common concern for organic gardeners is finding ways to kill weeds naturally. If you’re trying to avoid synthetic weed killers and keep your garden as healthy as possible, there are many natural alternatives.

From common household items to clever gardening practices, this guide can help you find the best way to manage the weeds without hurting your garden environment.

Corn gluten meal

If you’ve spent time removing weeds and want to make sure they don’t come back, try sprinkling corn gluten meal on exposed areas of the garden. This will prevent the weed seeds from germinating and becoming pesky plants.

Vinegar

Apply regular household vinegar directly to unwanted weeds to kill them off. Use a spray bottle, pump sprayer or even a paint brush to add the vinegar carefully, as it can harm more than just the weeds. Try applying vinegar on a dry day, so there’s no chance of water washing it away.

Newspaper

Have old newspapers to spare? You can use them to smother the weeds and prevent new ones from popping up. Create a thick layer of newspaper to block the sun and prevent photosynthesis. This method works best if you remove existing weeds first and lay the newspaper directly onto damp soil.

Mulch

Mulch is not only an excellent natural weed killer, but one of the best ways to keep your garden healthy in general. Cover the soil with a few inches of mulch – made of organic matter like leaves, wood chips and grass clippings – to help retain moisture and prevent new weed growth.

Ground cover plants

For a low maintenance and long-term weed control, leave no space in your garden uncovered. Ground cover plants like creeping thyme, clover and bugleweed spread out over the surface of the ground to form a natural shield against weeds. As a bonus, you’ll enjoy the lush aesthetic and protection against soil erosion.

These are only a few ways to kill weeds naturally, but some of the simplest. Keep these household items and garden strategies in mind when maintaining your green spaces to keep them free of pesky weeds.