If you’re looking to fertilize your garden in a more sustainable way, look no further than plants! While it may sound counterintuitive, using plant-based fertilizers is actually one of the most eco-friendly ways to get your garden growing. Here’s how you can use plants to fertilize your garden and go green this growing season.
Composting
Composting is an easy way to turn dead plants into rich, nutrient-filled soil that can help your garden thrive. Start by collecting compostable materials such as fruit and vegetable scraps, eggshells, coffee grounds, and shredded newspaper. If you’re feeling adventurous, try adding some grass clippings or manure for additional nutrients. Place these materials in a compost bin or pile and mix them together until they form a thick mixture that resembles dirt. When the compost has had enough time to break down (usually 2-3 months), add it to your garden soil for a dose of natural fertilizer full of helpful microbes and beneficial bacteria.
Cover Crops
Cover crops are plants grown specifically for their ability to build soil health by fixing nitrogen and other nutrients into the ground. For example, legumes like peas and beans fix nitrogen from the air into the soil with their root nodules, which can then be used as fertilizer for other plants in the garden. When planting cover crops in your garden beds at the end of each growing season, make sure to till them back into the soil after harvest so that all their nutrients are released directly back into the ground where they belong!
Green Manures
Green manures are simply any type of fast-growing plant grown specifically for its ability to enrich soil quality when tilled back into the ground. Legumes like clover are great options because they fix nitrogen while other types of green manures like buckwheat don’t require any special attention—just mow them down when they become too tall and watch as they provide food for beneficial insects while releasing vital nutrients into the soil!
Here’s the dirt
Plants are nature’s own fertilizer! By making use of composting, cover crops, and green manures you can easily create a sustainable system of natural fertilization for your garden with minimal effort involved. So why not give it a try? You might just find that going green with plant-based fertilizers is one of the best decisions you ever made – both for your wallet and for Mother Nature!