Ever wonder how some people's gardens, flower or vegetable, look so healthy and lush? Sometimes the answer is right at your finger tips, but you overlook it. When cleaning out your dwelling in spring or fall, you can find a treasure of nutrients for that soil. The plants will thank you in the following year with beautiful lush bushes and blooms. Here are a few tips on the items that can be put into the soil throughout the season. Then rake it in, or rototill the soil or just plain bury it. Any way you do it, just put it back into the soil! Some people have compost piles, and that's fine, too. I prefer to put it directly in the garden; even during the growing season. I dig holes in the walking path and add my goodies. By the time fall comes and it is time to rototill, the items have already decomposed; right in the garden. It helps with attracting earthworms into the soil, and that is very important. Earthworms and nightcrawlers are essential to having good garden soil.
Trash into Treasure
When I am sweeping or vacuuming the house, I save the collection of sand, hair and food particles and empty this out into the garden.
When I clean the inside of cabinets I collect all the old dry items such as; powdered milk, oatmeal, cereals(dry and cooking type), old and stale spices and herbs, old cracker and bread crumbs, rice, hardened in the jar-instant iced tea and coffees, cocoa mixes, stale crackers or chow-mien noodles, stale snacks such as potato chips and corn chips, old puddings and jellos, old flour and any packaged grains such as bulgar, wheat germ, barley...etc. I think you get the idea.
When I am sorting out my canned food, if anything is spoiled or has been around for a few years, I open it up into a bucket and haul it out into the garden. I do bury this and not just throw it onto the soil. It would cause you to have unwanted visitors digging or flying around.
Scraps from the dinner preparation such as lettuce leafs, onion skins, carrot scrapings, potato peelings, egg shells and rotten eggs, used coffee grounds or tea leafs ... etc. Do not add meat scraps, unless you don't mind flies and maggots. It also attracts the neighbor's dog.
Old bars of soap can be slivered and scattered throughout the garden soil, this helps with deterring unwanted ground bugs. Liquid dish detergent and oil soaps can be used also. If you still use a dishpan to do dishes, dump the used water into garden. Nothing harsh, such as 409 or chemical cleaners.
If you have a paper shredder, you can shred the paper and add this to the soil. Do not use shiny paper. (too many chemicals) No plastics.
Sawdust(not from treated wood) and filter lint can be added to soil.
When raking in fall, add the leaf collection and pine needles to the soil and rototill.
When cutting trees or branches add the fallen bark chips to the soil.
When I am transplanting my house plants, I save the soil and leaf clippings and dump this into the garden.
When cleaning out the fire-pit, fireplace or woodstove, save those ashes and add them to the garden.
Pet food that your critter refuses to eat(bury this)
There are so many items you can add to the soil to make it fertile it is amazing, and it is less garbage in the landfills. A good book to have around is Jerry Baker's, Plants Are Like People. He has many other good books available. Check your book store. I've been using mine for over ten years and the results are fantastic.
