Fertilizing Plants With Kitchen Scraps

We all know compost, or "black gold" as some like to call it, is an ideal mate to your plant soil. Composting also reduces the amount of trash volume you send to landfills, and consequently the amount of harmful methane emissions released in to our atmosphere. But not everyone has the space or sheer willingness to have an outdoor compost pile or worm bin. If you want to reap the benefits of this natural fertilizer but don't have the patience or compost heap, you can immediately use these three food scraps to nourish potted or garden soil and tremendously improve plant growth.

Banana Peel

Filled with potassium, this disposable skin helps plants grow flowers and fruit when used as an organic alternative to chemical fertilizers. You can literally plant the whole peel under the soil near the roots of the plant such as a rose bush, or just throw the peel on top of the soil and let it decompose. If you are afraid of attracting pests or animals, try liquefying the banana scrap in a blender with one quart of water before pouring it on to your plant or bush.

Coffee Grounds

Just like you may need that cup of coffee to energize your day, our plants need the nitrogen and minerals found in used coffee grounds to boost their life. Other natural elements that sustain plant growth such as calcium, copper and potassium are also found in our caffeine byproduct. Some experts suggest using the grounds only on acid loving plants or on alkaline soil, Start slowly by mixing modest amounts in to your potted plants or garden-try 1 tablespoon for pots and one cup for gardens. I also suggest drying the grounds before using them so there is no concern over mold growth.

Sustainable Enterprises suggests sprinkling used grounds around plants before watering for a slow-release nitrogen, or dilute with water for a gentle, fast-acting liquid fertilizer.

Egg Shells

Those plants really are apart of the family—you can feed your household scrambled eggs, then feed your plants with the leftover eggshells. The soil around potted plants, your vegetable garden and outdoor trees will get an incredible boost from the shells calcium composition, which is almost 98 percent of the shell.

First wash and dry out the eggshells. Then, place them in a bag or blender and crush them in to a powder-like consistency. Simply sprinkle the eggshell powder around your trees and plants.