Make A DIY Fertilizer For Your Garden With The Help Of A Common Kitchen Scrap

Just about any garden soil can use a little nutritional boost from time to time. Most plants get their nutrients from healthy soil which contains loads of beneficial microbes and organic matter, rich in nutrients. It may be tempting to buy synthetic fertilizer from a garden center, but you can just as easily make your own DIY version with something typically destined for the trash or compost pile: Potato peels. In fact, it's a great hack to improve garden soil on a shoestring budget.

A homemade potato-peel-based fertilizer saves money, reduces waste, and might benefit your plants better than synthetic fertilizers in the long run. While synthetic fertilizers have plenty of the nutrients plants need, such as nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium (NPK), they lack the organic matter vital for a healthy soil. This is why you may want to reconsider using Miracle-Gro in your garden, or similar synthetic fertilizers, using potato peels instead, which are rich in potassium, but also nitrogen and phosphorous.

Natural NPK fertilizers can revitalize your garden's soil. This is where potato peels come in. Whether you choose to make a liquid or powder form of potato-peel fertilizer, your soil-boosting solution will offer not only potassium, but other minerals such as calcium and magnesium. Peels also contain antioxidants and vitamins that add nutrients to the soil. It's important to only use peels from healthy potatoes. Avoid peels that are overly green or with lots of sprouts, as they can contain solanine a toxin that's harmful to plants and mammals when consumed in large quantities.

A potato peel fertilizer tea is a liquid nutrient boost you can make at home. It's the easiest option to make, as it requires nothing more than a jar, water, and a strainer (and potato peels). Scoop as many peels as you can easily hold in your hand, and place them in a quart jar. Fill the jar the rest of the way with water, cover it, and let it sit for a few days up to a week. Stir the mixture daily. As the potato peels steep, their nutrients transfer to the water, creating a concentrated infusion. Strain the mixture to remove the peels (which can be composted), then place that liquid in a jar with a comparable amount of fresh water to dilute it, or make a half-and-half mixture in a spray bottle each time. Pour the liquid around the base of plants that could use a little boost, but only do it every two to four weeks to avoid fertilizer burn. 

A powder-based potato-peel fertilizer is also easy to make — it just involves a little more processing. Place the peels on a single layer on a baking sheet, then bake them at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes. After they cool, add them to a coffee grinder, food processor, or blender, processing to a fine powder. Store the powder in a lidded container in a dry place, then stir one tablespoon of it into a cup of water to pour around your plants whenever you like. The beauty of this approach is kept cool and dry, potato peel powder will keep for years, and can be used each season as needed.