How Does Your Garden Grow

I'm sure, at some point, you have heard that adding kitchen scraps to your soil can help your plants. Now that we have a back yard, I am anxious to get my garden going...and feeding it right to ensure I have healthy, happy plants!

Below are some tips for easy, household items that you can add to your garden to help feed and nourish your plants!


Bananas

Banana peels (and bananas) are good for roses. There are many ways to feed your roses the sweet snack, but the easiest is to just bury the peel, or the whole banana, about 1 inch near the base of the plant. If you are transplanting your rose, throw a whole banana down into the hole after you dig and before you place the rose in. The potassium will soak into the soil and give them a boost!


Coffee Grounds

Coffee grounds work as a balancing agent for the soils pH levels. Save as much of the grounds as you can (or get them from a local coffee shop) and add them directly to your soil. Most outdoor plants with get assistance from the grounds, however some plants such as geraniums do not take as well to them. Another plus about adding the grounds to you soil? Worms love them! And everyone knows...worms are GREAT for the garden!


Egg Shells

Egg shells are a good source of calcium for your plants, especially tomatoes. Egg shells do take some prep work before you toss them into the garden, however. The egg that came out of the shell leaves behind some clime and that slime can and will create bacteria, which is harmful to the plants. If you choose to use egg shells, make sure you wash them thoroughly and break them down by crushing them in a baggy before adding them to your soil. You can also place a circle of prepped egg shells are plants as a slug deterrent. Bonus!


Pennies

Copper helps to control slugs and can add essential minerals to your soil to assist with plants such as tomatoes, helping to control blight. Again, it works to help the pH level of the soil. Using pennies that are dated 1982 or earlier will give the most benefit to the soil, however the newer ones will work too. There is also an old wives tale that says that if you place pennies near a hydrangea that it will make the flowers blue...and those are my favorites!

I'm looking forward to trying our these tips on our garden this year. Maybe some day I can get my gardens as nice as Disney's!

Do you have any other garden wives tales or tips to share?