There are many factors that go into creating a successful garden, but one of the most important things is to have good fertilizer. While it is often best to purchase professionally made fertilizer that will have a precise mixture of different nutrients that your soil needs to be fertile enough for life to sprout from, there are also many different materials in and around your home that are great additions to put on your soil, and work as a naturally fertilizer. Depending on what you are growing, each of these items can help you make healthy soil for your plants. Take a look at our list of some of these materials…
Compost
One of the absolute best household materials that can be used to fertilize your soil is what is generally called “compost.” What’s interesting about compost is that it can be made from a variety of different things, from clusters of rotting leaves and dying plants, to old, leftover food, and even torn up cardboard. Compost is great because it usually contains a great mix of all sorts of essential nutrients for your soil.
Ashes
It can be hard to grow certain produce if your soil has a pH level that leaves a lot to be desired. For this reason, using ashes from your fireplace (from burned wood, in particular) is useful to mix in with your soil, in order to increase the soil’s pH level.
Coffee grounds
It might not be the best idea to throw out those old coffee grounds every morning, as they are actually incredibly useful to the resourceful gardener. Dried coffee grounds are high in things like nitrogen, potassium, and magnesium, and will also increase your soil’s pH level
Egg shells
Eggshells contain the same nutrients as longstanding sediment that is called “limestone.” These concentrated amounts of calcium carbonate make for incredibly healthy soil. It is often best to make sure that the eggs you buy have powdered egg shells, for the best results.
Epsom salt
Epsom salt has a variety of uses inside of your home, but it also can be quite useful for the outside of your home, in the form of a fertilizer that is highly nutritious in magnesium and sulfate. A variety of crops will grow to be much healthier if these nutrients are found in your soil.
Pine needles
While some of these household fertilizer options will increase your soil’s pH level, there might be times when you need to decrease that level, because your soil will be too acidic. Pine needles are a great way of accomplishing this, and also are a great supply of nitrogen.
