Did you know you can use garden urine, as well as milk, oyster shells, egg shells, and even cooking water? no ? So immediately discover these ten original tips for the open-minded farmers I chose garden land, The gardening magazine western France.
1. Urine as fertilizer
Urine contains various minerals, including nitrogen, which makes it a good, natural and balanced fertilizer. When you know that an average adult produces 1.5 liters per day, why deprive yourself of it? It is used diluted in irrigation, at the rate of 10 centiliters per liter of water, or poured pure on compost, to speed up the decomposition process. Precautions only, beware of overdose and avoid it if you are taking medication. To read on this topic: Paul, liquid gold in the garden, by Renaud de Looze, Terran Editions.
2. Salt and pepper for shallots
For a beautiful leek, some gardeners at the Guérande market place two grains of coarse salt in the bottom of each hole before planting them. Other gardeners put three peppercorns, the smell of which will scare away the leek worm, this butterfly caterpillar that delights with the leaves and stems of alliums (garlic, leeks, onions, etc.)
3. Pelargonium milk
Yes, milk also has its uses in the garden. Before discarding empty milk bottles or cartons, rinse them and use this water to water pelargoniums, these pretty flowers that are geranium’s cousins. You can also dilute 1 tablespoon of milk from time to time per liter of irrigation water. Their prosperity will be more generous!
4. Coffee to keep cats away
Not only is coffee an excellent fertilizer, it is also a repellant for aphids, ants, slugs, snails…and cats! If you’re tired of them climbing onto your farms and napping on your plants, drop in some ground coffee. Citrus peels will do, too.
5. Thyme peels
Like other Mediterranean aromatics (rosemary, saline, sage), thyme prefers chalky soils. If it’s not oysters or for potted crops, insert oyster shells, mussels, or crushed eggs around the base regularly. Thyme will grow better and be more fragrant.
6. Do not throw away the cooking water!
When cooking vegetables or eggs in (unsalted) water, set them aside to cool. Some minerals and vitamins are absorbed. Use it as a fertilizer when watering your plants.
7. Reuse stove ash
Do not throw ashes from a stove or wood stove. They are especially rich in calcium and potassium, and contain minerals such as silica and phosphorous. Elements that stimulate the growth of roots and flowers and improve soil fertility. Store them for consolidation at the end of winter by light scratching, at the foot of fruit trees and in beds. Without exceeding 100 grams per square meter per year, the equivalent of two large handfuls so as not to disturb the soil balance.
8. Butterfly eggshells
Still against the leek worm, you can also use the eggshell. To do this, empty the eggs by making a hole at one end and rinse the shell. Then put them in small nets that you will hang from pegs about 50 cm long, planted at each end and in the middle of your rows. Butterflies will not lay their eggs on the leeks anymore, but on the shell.
9. Soil collection from the hills
Collect land rejected by moles in rooftop piles by digging up their galleries. Especially smooth, but no richer than the surface, it is perfectly mixed with potting soil or sifted compost. Use it to fill pots and planters, repot plants, or sow seeds.
10. Olive oil for fig tingling
Before the last fig changes color, dip a pin into the olive oil and prick the eye, the point corresponding to its attachment to the twig. This is an ancient technique for accelerating ripening, which is very useful in regions where the end of summer is cool.
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