So today, I planted four overripe bananas next to four of my rose bushes. I'm sure it's not going to hurt them so if it works and my roses thrive, well that's just a bonus! I'll plant some next to my passion fruit and orange tree when I next have some old ones lying around.
I also learnt that coffee grounds are an excellent fertiliser and can just be dug through the top soil of your garden. They can also be used to sprinkle in a thick layer around plants to deter slugs. There are slug issues in my garden at the moment. They keep eating my passion fruit vine and my gooseberry bush. I don't like to squash them though. Meow tries to help out by lying on them and them bringing them inside all stuck and mooshed into her fur. Thanks Meow...
I don't drink coffee but I was thinking I could go to a local cafe and ask them to save me a garbage bag of coffee grounds.
I have also accidentally found out that slugs, snails and earthworms really like pasta. I fed next door's cat some left over chicken pasta one evening and I tipped the leftover pasta she didn't eat into the garden. A couple of hours later I was outside and noticed there were four slugs, two snails and an earthworm eating the pasta. It was all gone in the morning! I should have taken a photo, it was quite fascinating to watch.
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| The first of my roses beginning to bloom |
Do you have any strange garden tricks that work for you? I'm all ears!
6 comments:
I was overbuying bananas just to get a few to chuck in the freezer, but turns out I wasn't overbuying at all, we go through an insane amount of bananas! So I couldn't bear to bury any in the garden, though the peel does go to the compost :)
My mum gets coffe grounds from the local Jesters that she adds to her compost too.
My tip is let the boys wee outside on your lemon tree! Probably good for other citrus too.
Banana sacrifices to the Garden gods?? Here, that would be a snack for a Labrador for later on. Our roses are just leafy, not hot enough yet. I have no gardening tricks, my only trick is managing to keep anything alive.
Great tips. Thank you. I dont think I could bear to give up my banana smoothies or bread either, but will certainly be using the peel in the garden.
Coffee shops would be glad to get rid of their grindings, I get a bagful from my local too.
One thing I do religiously is make a tea tonic - worm castings, compost, dynamic lifter - a handful into a bucket of water and steep until colour of strong tea. Dilute 1 cup to a 9l watering can and feed potted plants weekly.
I knew about bananas for roses but I didn't realise they are also good for citrus and tomatoes. How interesting about the pasta. I going to try that next time I cook pasta. Great tips, thank you.
Snails and slugs don't like crawling over broken egg shells so you can lay a ring of broken egg shell around any plants you don't want them to eat. First you need to to get one or two chickens; they will eat the slugs and snails and turn them into eggs, which you can eat and then use the shells to deter the sanilas ans slugs.
Now that is garden tip that I did not know! Might have to try it myself. My freezer is well stocked with overripe bananas at the moment. I was going to suggest the eggshell thing too re the slugs.
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