By Stan V. (Stan the Roseman) Griep
American Rose Society Certified Consulting Rosarian – Rocky Mountain District
Image by Beatrice Murch
If there is one thing most gardeners know how to do and do well it is garden recycling. In one way or another, we have done some making of compost. Such as; when we harvest out carrots of radishes we cut the tops off and toss them back onto the garden soils, turn them under the soil to be broken down feeding the micro-organisms in the soils thus building the soils up. Some of the more organic fertilizers we use are actually a form of garden recycling, such as items like blood meal, kelp meal, bone meal, cottonseed meal and alfalfa meal just to name a few. But, we can use “green” garbage from around the house and use it to recycle in the garden too.
Things You Can Use In Garden Recycling
Here are a few more items around the home that can be recycled into the gardens and what they bring to the gardens:
Egg Shells As Gardening “Green” Garbage
If you are wondering what to do with crushed egg shells, recycle them in the garden. Save the old egg shells from making those scrambled eggs or breakfast burritos! Wash the egg shells off well and place in an open container to dry. Mash the shells up into a fine powder and store in a paper bag until needed.
I stress the fact that the egg shells must be smashed into a powdery form to get the benefit desired. Egg shells that are not made into a powdery form will take a very long time to break down thus delaying their benefits to the plants.
The egg shells are mostly Calcium Carbonate which can be added to the gardens or even container plants. This additive helps prevent the blossom end rot problems with tomatoes and helps other plants as well. The calcium is very important in the construction of the cell walls in plants and promotes the proper workings of the growing tissues in plants, it is extremely important in fast growing plants.
Banana Peels In Garden Recycling
The banana is truly a gift of nature in so many ways. Not only very good for us but good for the garden visitor friends that make our gardens grow well. The banana peels have been used for hundreds of years to protect roses! Many rose growers would place a banana peel in the planting hole soils with roses as the potassium in them can help keep many diseases away from your rosebushes. The banana peels actually contain several nutrients for the garden plants such as; potassium, calcium, magnesium and sulfur.
The banana peels breakdown very well thus providing the nutrients to the plants quickly. I recommend chopping up the banana peels before placing them in the garden or around the rosebushes and working them into the soils. The chopping up of the peels helps them to break down better not to mention being easier to work with. The peels can be chopped up and dried for use later on as well.
Recycling Coffee Grounds In The Garden
Both coffee grounds and tea leaves, from tea bags or bulk tea, are high in nitrogen as well as containing many other nutrients for both the garden soils building and the plants health. They do bring acid with them to the soils as well, so again be sure to keep an eye on the soils pH level.
I recommend adding a little at a time rather than dumping a cup or two of either around the plants and working it in. Just because a plant is known to prefer acidic soils does not mean it will do well with the addition of these items though some may react in a negative way to their addition to the soils.
*Notes*: It is better to add small amounts to sort of “test the waters” before adding a lot of any such item to the gardens, this holds true for any of our garden recycling.
Keep an eye on the pH level of your soils, as adding anything to the garden soils can affect the pH balance!
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By Stan V. (Stan the Roseman) Griep
American Rose Society Certified Consulting Rosarian – Rocky Mountain District
Image by Beatrice Murch
If there is one thing most gardeners know how to do and do well it is garden recycling. In one way or another, we have done some making of compost. Such as; when we harvest out carrots of radishes we cut the tops off and toss them back onto the garden soils, turn them under the soil to be broken down feeding the micro-organisms in the soils thus building the soils up. Some of the more organic fertilizers we use are actually a form of garden recycling, such as items like blood meal, kelp meal, bone meal, cottonseed meal and alfalfa meal just to name a few. But, we can use “green” garbage from around the house and use it to recycle in the garden too.
Things You Can Use In Garden Recycling
Here are a few more items around the home that can be recycled into the gardens and what they bring to the gardens:
Egg Shells As Gardening “Green” Garbage
If you are wondering what to do with crushed egg shells, recycle them in the garden. Save the old egg shells from making those scrambled eggs or breakfast burritos! Wash the egg shells off well and place in an open container to dry. Mash the shells up into a fine powder and store in a paper bag until needed.
I stress the fact that the egg shells must be smashed into a powdery form to get the benefit desired. Egg shells that are not made into a powdery form will take a very long time to break down thus delaying their benefits to the plants.
The egg shells are mostly Calcium Carbonate which can be added to the gardens or even container plants. This additive helps prevent the blossom end rot problems with tomatoes and helps other plants as well. The calcium is very important in the construction of the cell walls in plants and promotes the proper workings of the growing tissues in plants, it is extremely important in fast growing plants.
Banana Peels In Garden Recycling
The banana is truly a gift of nature in so many ways. Not only very good for us but good for the garden visitor friends that make our gardens grow well. The banana peels have been used for hundreds of years to protect roses! Many rose growers would place a banana peel in the planting hole soils with roses as the potassium in them can help keep many diseases away from your rosebushes. The banana peels actually contain several nutrients for the garden plants such as; potassium, calcium, magnesium and sulfur.
The banana peels breakdown very well thus providing the nutrients to the plants quickly. I recommend chopping up the banana peels before placing them in the garden or around the rosebushes and working them into the soils. The chopping up of the peels helps them to break down better not to mention being easier to work with. The peels can be chopped up and dried for use later on as well.
Recycling Coffee Grounds In The Garden
Both coffee grounds and tea leaves, from tea bags or bulk tea, are high in nitrogen as well as containing many other nutrients for both the garden soils building and the plants health. They do bring acid with them to the soils as well, so again be sure to keep an eye on the soils pH level.
I recommend adding a little at a time rather than dumping a cup or two of either around the plants and working it in. Just because a plant is known to prefer acidic soils does not mean it will do well with the addition of these items though some may react in a negative way to their addition to the soils.
*Notes*: It is better to add small amounts to sort of “test the waters” before adding a lot of any such item to the gardens, this holds true for any of our garden recycling.
Keep an eye on the pH level of your soils, as adding anything to the garden soils can affect the pH balance!
Print This Article - Printer Friendly Version
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