No need for store-bought
The cost of everything from gas to burgers may be rising, but home gardeners growing produce have found a way at least to avoid paying $4 for a pound of tomatoes.
Fertilizing those tomatoes — or cucumbers or flowers, for that matter — is another story, as the cost of soil amendments has been soaring.
All plants require nutrients, which occur naturally in the soil. But over time, they become depleted and need to be replenished for plants to thrive.
Most fertilizers contain three primary nutrients: nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, represented by the N-P-K ratio on the package. Nitrogen directs the plant to channel its energy into green, leafy growth; phosphorus encourages the development of roots, fruits and flowers; and potassium benefits the plant’s overall health. Many fertilizers also contain secondary nutrients, like calcium and magnesium, and micronutrients like iron, copper, boron, manganese, zinc and molybdenum.
The good news is they don’t have to come from a bag or a bottle. There are many ways that home gardeners can save money while providing their plants with high-quality nutrients.
Consider grass clippings: Allowing them to remain on the lawn after mowing can eliminate the need for fertilizer. As they break down, fresh clippings release a natural source of nitrogen into the soil that will sustain turf grasses (don’t use fresh clippings in garden beds; they’ll burn your plants).
Compost is the single best soil amendment available. It increases sand’s moisture-retention, improves clay’s drainage and adds beneficial nutrients to the soil. Incorporate generous amounts into beds or planting holes, or use it in place of mulch.
If making compost isn’t your bag, there’s still no need to buy it: Simply collect fruit and vegetable peelings and other kitchen scraps (but no meat, dairy or fats) in a bowl on your countertop. Whenever it fills up, dig its contents into the garden. Just be sure to bury them at least 10-12 inches deep to avoid attracting hungry wildlife, and dig several inches from plant rows to avoid damaging roots.
Plants appreciate a wide array of fish-based applications, including a whole fish placed at the bottom of each planting hole, buried fish scraps (again, at least 10-12 inches deep) or homemade fish emulsion made by soaking scales, bones and entrails in a tightly sealed 5-gallon bucket of water for at least a month, then straining the liquid and using it to water plants.
If you’re an angler, you already have access to these amendments. If you aren’t, your local fishmonger may be willing to give away — or sell at low cost — scraps and heads.
When you boil vegetables and pour the water down the drain, you’re discarding a motherlode of vitamins and minerals that could enrich your garden.