Fertilizing the garden is a great way to improve soil ecology and plant health, and especially to improve the production of vegetables, fruit and flowers. Not all fertilizers have to be expensive, and the best ones are naturally produced, have low toxicity, and are very effective for the garden. This article shows you a number of solutions to try to offer better quality nutrition to your garden.
Steps
Step 1. Plow the lawn with a hand or mechanical plow
Loosening and aerating the soil makes it easier to apply compost and encourages the development of roots and earthworms.
Step 2. Use rabbit droppings
Add about 12 kg of rabbit droppings (NOT RABBIT FOOD) for an area of 90 square meters. Make sure they are NOT fresh, but well dried or composted.
Step 3. Try horse manure
If you live near a race track, a fair, a stable equestrian center or a farm, you can get free horse manure if you are willing to collect it. You can load it on a pickup truck or even use buckets or garbage bags and put them in the trunk of the car. Fresh horse manure can generate a lot of heat, which can be helpful in improving the contents of the compost bin which does not degrade quickly. It is good to remember that horse manure contains weed seeds, so it should be composted before being distributed on the ground, to avoid the spread of weeds.
Step 4. Sprinkle the garden with ash wood
If you burn wood for heating during the winter, put the ashes in the garden, as they are rich in potassium. Spread them out on the lawn when they have cooled down, but don't do it on a windy day. Don't spread them too often, or they can become like a sticky paste. You can add some ash to the compost pile as well. Make sure you spread it in thin layers and make sure it's not painted or treated wood ash, otherwise it's toxic.
Step 5. Use the grass clippings
The cut grass that you recover from the lawn mower can be easily composted. Choose a location that is not exposed to the wind, so that debris is not blown away or scattered. If you have a lawn mower with a bag, empty the cut grass directly onto the compost pile every time you cut. Layer fresh clippings with dried leaves, crushed eggshells, coffee grounds, and any raw vegetable scraps from the kitchen. Turn this compost pile every week to allow air to penetrate. The cut green grass can generate significant heat capable of destroying the seeds of the weeds and the pathogens present. When adding residues from worm farms, it's best to let them sit on the mound for a week or two beforehand so that they can degrade and to avoid generating too much heat.
Neighbors are often willing to help you and add material to your compost. You can save them from having to take leftovers and green stuff to the landfill, and you can pay them back with a basket of tomatoes. Any plant material you put in basically creates compost, which will add nitrogen to the soil. Compost helps your plants grow strong, develop earthworms, and loosen the soil
Step 6. Start a worm farm
Humus is an excellent fertilizer and you can collect the worms from the ground or you can get them at a garden center. Make sure you keep the grass cut.
Advice
- Be careful when using ash - always check the pH of the soil before adding it. The ashes are alkaline, and if the soil is not acidic, you can make the situation worse. Keep in mind that most of the gardening manuals that recommend the application of ash are mainly addressed to those regions where the soil is very acidic and the conditions are different from areas where the soil is more alkaline.
- The potassium in the ash is beneficial for flowering plants and fruit, but not so good for grass and green foliage, which rather needs nitrogen to maintain color.
