Use these simple household leftovers & other items to improve your garden soil for free!

When we talk about soil improvements, the first thing that comes to mind is probably compost. Compost is an essential building block of healthy and well-rounded soil for organic gardens, but it does take time to break down, so it will be a while before you are able to use it to improve your garden soil.

However, there are also a number of other things that you can add directly to the soil that will help improve specific nutrients in certain areas, which may be helpful for growing particular crops or preventing certain nutrient deficiencies.

These can be spot applied just where you need them, and they will break down and improve your garden soil over time to provide the nutrients your plants need. Best of all, they won’t cost you an extra cent!

1.) Banana Peels

Banana peels are extremely high in potassium and also contain sulfur and phosphorus.

Chopping up some peels and putting them around the base of your vegetable plants will help with root development, and increase the flower blooms on your plants and therefore your fruit yield.

2.) Chicken Feathers

Chicken feathers are very nitrogen-rich.

If you have chickens, collecting some feathers from around your coop and run (think during the molting season!) and adding them to your soil will provide the nitrogen necessary for nice green leaves and provides food for your plants.

The leafy greens such as spinach, kale, broccoli, and others are especially appreciative of high nitrogen levels in the soil.

3.) Coffee Grounds

Don’t toss those coffee grounds!

They contain nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus, making them an excellent general fertilizer for your plants when you sprinkle them around the base of your plants or work them into the soil prior to planting.

4.) Epsom Salts

Epsom salts are extremely high in magnesium which helps seed germination and the absorption of other nutrients.

Mixing some Epsom salts into your garden soil will help your seeds sprout.
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5.) Wood Ash

If you have a wood stove or fire pit, saving the ashes and scattering them on your garden will help to neutralize acidic soil and also add calcium to your soil.

Depending on the types of wood burned, wood ash also can contain high levels of magnesium, potassium, and phosphorus which are all beneficial to a garden.

(Just make sure not to add any ashes from treated or painted wood, which may contain unwanted chemicals or heavy metals.)

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