vegetable garden tips Archives - Mother 2 Mother Blog

Using Banana Peels as Fertilizer

March 29, 2021 by Rhonda Gales Leave a Comment

Today, I’m sharing gardening tips on using banana peels as fertilizer for beginner gardeners. I love recycling and upcycling things, and banana peels just happens to be one of those things. So, I’ve found ways to use in banana peels in my gardens and I make a banana tea fertilizer for my plants. Read on for this simple fertilizer recipe.

banana peel fertilizer

Using Banana Peels as Fertilizer

Making banana peel fertilizer is easy and beneficial to both flower and vegetable garden. Bananas are a great source of potassium, sodium, iron, zinc, and manganese, all of which plants need for healthy growth and blooms.

Furthermore, potassium helps plants use water better and be more drought resistant. Because it contains no nitrogen, it is perfect for low nitrogen plants like tomatoes and peppers. Banana peels contain calcium, which helps prevent blossom end rot. You can also use the fertilizer on flowers, house plants and roses.

Remove any stickers from the bananas.
Place 1 – 2 banana peels in a quart jar.
Cover banana peels with rain water if available or regular water.
Cover quart jar loosely with a top.
Allow peels to stand in water for 48 hours to a week.
Remove banana peels from the jar, and chop them into small pieces.
Bury the banana peels beneath your plants when planting your garden and posts.
Store the fertilizer in a pitcher or gallon jug until ready to use.
Water the plants at the base with the banana peel fertilizer.

banana peel fertilizer

Furthermore, you can save banana peels throughout the year by freezing them. You can make the fertilizer with fresh or frozen banana peels. I freeze banana peels all year to ensure that I have enough to make fertilizer throughout the gardening season. Once used they can be tossed into your compost bin.

You can also lightly mist your tomato and pepper plants throughout the growing season. Place your fertilizer in a spray bottle and mist. Don’t saturate your plants, a light mist will do. Pepper and tomato plants don’t like to stay wet too long.

Try using banana peel fertilizer on your plants this growing season. You’ll give them the boost they need to produce delicious fruit, vegetables and flowers. You may also like: Building Healthy Soil.

Fast Growing Vegetables for Beginner Gardeners

May 7, 2020 by Rhonda Gales 2 Comments

Today, I’m sharing gardening tips on fast growing vegetables to plant in your backyard garden or containers. These are easy to grow vegetables, and I highly recommend them for beginner gardeners as well as experienced gardeners.

Several of these delicious and nutritious veggies find a place in my garden every year. I hope you will find a few that you want to plant, and they become favorites in your summer garden.

Fast growing vegetables for your garden:

Radishes – I love radishes sliced or diced in a salad or on a vegetable tray. You can also roast or sautéed radishes with chives or garlic in olive oil, and be sure to add lots of your favorite seasoning.

Lettuce – If you love a fresh salad and BLTs in the summer like I do, you will be planting lots of lettuce. You can grow lettuce in your row garden, raised beds, pots, containers, lined baskets, colanders and any other container that will drain. There’s Black Seeded Simpson, Leaf Bowl, Romaine, Butter Crunch (one of my favorites),

Spinach – I love fresh spinach in a salad or in my smoothies. I add a banana, a handful of spinach and frozen berries with almond milk for a refreshing smoothie.

Squash – I love squash fried, in casseroles, sliced and baked in the oven with a parmesan cheese topping. Yummy! And, you don’t more than a plant or two. They are heavy producers.

Cucumbers – I love fresh cucumbers. I use them in salads, vegetable trays and infused in water with fresh basil. Cucumber water is so refreshing on a hot summer day.

Swiss Chard – Personally, I’m not a fan of swiss chard unless it’s in a smoothie. I basically use it in the same manner that I use spinach, with a banana, handful of frozen berries and almond milk. It makes a very healthy breakfast drink. And, I love the colorful stems on this veggie. So pretty.

Green Beans – My family loves green beans at family dinners. Also, I love using them in my vegetable soup in the winter.

Scallions – Great in stir fry, potato soup, chopped on a baked potato or in salads.

Beets – My mother, may she rest in peace, loved beets in vinegar. My sister and a cousin love them as well. Me, not so much. But, I will plant a few for family.

Broccoli – Another delicious vegetable that can be used on vegetable trays, fried or in a stir fry. It finds a place in my beef and broccoli stir fry often.

Zucchini – Zucchini is very similar to squash. I use zucchini in casseroles, and it make a delicious zucchini bread.

Finally, I hope that you will plant a few of these fast growing vegetables in your garden this year. You will be harvesting fresh and delicious vegetables in no time.

Filed Under: Vegetable Garden Tagged With: backyard vegetable gardens, easy gardening tips, fast growing vegetables, vegetable garden tips

Homemade Fertilizer for Tomatoes and More

April 8, 2020 by Rhonda Gales Leave a Comment

Today, I’m sharing gardening tips on using homemade fertilizer for tomatoes. Using these household items will help you grow bigger, juicy, disease free tomatoes this season. First, I’ve been using these household items in my backyard vegetable garden for years. I’ve had success with all of them. So, I’m thrilled to be sharing these gardening tips with you.

Homemade fertilizers will give your plants the boost they need to grow and produce delicious fruit. Most importantly, homemade fertilizers can be made organically. You can add in products that will boost calcium, iron, potassium, sulfur, magnesium etc.

Homemade Fertilizer for Tomatoes:

Eggshells – I save eggshells throughout the year so I can use in my garden. I wash them, dry them thoroughly and crush them to plant with my tomatoes. Check out my post Using Eggshells in the Garden. Eggshells provide calcium for tomato plants. Tomato plants need calcium need to produce large fruit.

Aspirin – Furthermore, you can use expired aspirins if you have them or purchase a cheap bottles from your local pharmacy to make a spray for your plants. One bottle can go a long way. Add 1 – 2 aspirins to a gallon of water. Spray on your tomato plant throughout the growing season.

Coffee – Next, I brew coffee every morning, so I have plenty of coffee grounds to use in my garden. I simply put a scoop of coffee grounds in the hole with your plant and sprinkle a scoop of coffee grounds around each of your tomato plants. Coffee grounds provide nitrogen to plants.

Epsom Salt – You can also add 2 tablespoons of Epsom Salt to a gallon of water. Spray your tomatoes plants with the Epsom Salt mixture once a month. Epsom Salt has Magnesium, which helps plants to absorb nitrogen and phosphorus.

Banana Peels – So, there’s lots of bananas in my kitchen. I love them in my smoothies, and they’re great to take on the go. So, rather than throw the peels in the trash, I recycle them. I dry banana peels to use in the garden, a banana peel tea or use the peels directly in the planting hole. Banana peels provide minerals to plants.

Freeze Banana Peels

Begin my cutting your peels into strips.
Place them in a freezer bag and than freeze them. Once you have 15 – 20 peels, it is time to dry them.

Dry Your Banana Peels

Turn your oven on the lowest setting
Place your banana peels on a cookie sheet. Be sure they are not touching. You need the air to circulate.
Leave your oven door ajar.
Allow the peels to dry. They are ready when they become brittle.
Use your chopper to cut up the peels.
Place them in an airtight container until they are ready to be used.

Finally, if growing bigger and healthier tomatoes is your goal; I hope you will make a mixture of homemade fertilizer for tomatoes. Your tomatoes will love you for the added boost. And, you will love your big, juicy, delicious tomatoes all summer. Also, providing one of these fertilizers will help with preventing blossom end rot.

You can also use the fertilizers:

Peppers
Carrots
Broccoli
Lettuce
Spinach
Celery
Asparagus

You may also like homemade garden fertilizers.

Filed Under: Vegetable Garden Tagged With: backyard gardening, cheap gardening, garden fertilizer tips, vegetable garden tips

Tips on Landscaping Small Yards

September 11, 2019 by Rhonda Gales Leave a Comment

Flower gardening can be therapeutic. Today, I’m sharing tips on landscaping small yards. The idea of hiring a professional designer for your garden can be daunting for the typical household. Especially, if you only have a small front yard. We assume that gardening talents are best suited for large areas. Furthermore, if you don’t live in a Beverly Hills mansion you probably don’t need a professional gardener. It is a common belief that garden designs need spacious areas. Not true!

We are probably influenced by the pictures of parks, castles and celebrities’ homes. They include garden designs with luxurious water features. There are live fish, creative hedge cuttings, and magnificent flower displays. However, there is more to gardening and outdoor scenes than meets the eye. Small yards could benefit from the know-how and style of a professional too. Here’s a few tips on landscaping small yards:

Eliminate Landscaping Mistakes

When you work with a small space you need to be creative. It’s important to maximize what you have. It’s precisely what landscaping a small yard is about. For small yards, landscapers ensure that they maximize the space without compromising on style, diversity, and vegetation. Too many home gardeners are worried about creating an outdoor garden that is inviting and relaxing. Professionals can help you understand what your soil needs in terms of nutrients. Furthermore, they understand what plants will thrive in your tiny space. Adding unnecessary features or plants that won’t survive is not beneficial. Everything needs to have its place.

Learn to Preserve Wildlife

Your yard may be small, but it can still play a significant role in the conservation of wildlife. With the help of a professional, you can create a bee-friendly path. For example, using flowers that naturally attract these active pollinators should be incorporated. A lavender bush would be the perfect addition to a small garden. It injects both color and scent. Additionally, lavender is also ideal for small gardens as it grows in the roughest conditions. As a result, you don’t have to worry about prepping your soil. Furthermore, your garden contractor can be a precious ally when it comes to developing eco-friendly maintenance habits. They will utilize natural repellents rather than pesticides and insecticides.

Maximize Your Money

Last but not least, your small yard could save you a ton of money. As a result, you can work on a vegetable bed. A specialist will advise you on the most suitable vegetables for your soil, your climate, and your lifestyle. Many veggies come in dwarf sizes, which makes space less of a worry. Ideally, you should opt for vertical growers, such as beans, beets, or cucumbers. In a small area, you need to rely on crops that grow quickly. Growing vegetables can soon reduce your need for grocery shopping. Additionally, you can follow the tips of a professional to create a compost bin that will nourish your vegetable bed while repurposing all your kitchen and yard waste and paper.

Every garden can benefit from the knowledge and expertise of a certified landscaper. Homeowners who are struggling to bring their small yard to life could create a wildlife paradise with the help of professionals who can ensure a cost and space saving design.

Filed Under: Flower Gardens Tagged With: backyard gardening tips, gardening tips, vegetable garden tips

10 Reasons I Preserve My Garden Vegetables

September 3, 2014 by Rhonda Gales

Backyard vegetable gardening is hard work, but oh so worth it. Today, I’m going to talk about preserving garden vegetables. There’s nothing like fresh fruits and vegetables that have been preserved for winter use. There’s nothing better than pulling out fresh tomatoes in the winter to make sauce and salsa.

I add preserved tomatoes to my homemade vegetable soup in the winter. The taste is amazing. There’s nothing better than a bowl of homemade soup during a blizzard. Not only do I preserve tomatoes, I preserve belle peppers, chili peppers, green beans, corn, and herbs. Did I mention that I also grow my own garlic for my tomato sauce. I preserve anywhere from 20 – 25 quarts of sauce each season. My homemade tomato sauce is kid approved. My grandchildren love it, so I share with my daughter and siblings.

I just chopped 2 quarts of belle peppers for my freezer. If you’re wondering if you can freeze belle peppers without blanching, the answer is yes. Here’s how:

Wash peppers thoroughly and dry.
Remove the core and seeds.
Place peppers in a quart freezer bag. Be sure to remove the air from the bag. To keep the peppers from freezer burn, double bag the peppers.
Write the date on the bag with a permanent marker.

I love using fresh belle peppers in my dishes. The best way to preserve vegetables and fruits is to freeze them. I just place the peppers on a cookie sheet. Place the sheet in the freezer so the pieces can freeze before placing them in the freezer bag. However, you can just place them in a freezer bag as shown. Just give them a good whack with a kitchen mallet to break them apart when I needed.

To prevent freezer burn, put the peppers in a quart size bag. Than place the quart size bag in a gallon size freezer bag. Make sure you get all of the air out of the bags. Most importantly, make sure your peppers are cool and dry before you freeze them.

Gardening gives me a sense of fulfillment and preserving garden vegetables puts the icing on the cake. Being able to serve organic, fresh veggies and fruits to my family is a blessing. Here’s why preserving garden vegetables is at the top of my list:

Fresh vegetables and fruits are more flavorful than grocery store purchases.
I use fresh tomatoes in chili, pasta sauce and salsa during the winter.
Fresh peppers are available for omelets, meatloaves, spaghetti sauces and casseroles etc.
I have fresh garlic available for spaghetti sauce and other dishes.
Fresh apples and peaches available for warm cobblers during the winter.
I grow organic fruits and vegetables. The less chemicals used the better.
I save hundreds of dollars on my grocery bill.
My family raves about my dishes. It’s the herbs and other fresh vegetables and fruits, but don’t tell them it’s a secret.
Fresh vegetables and tomatoes make the best soups on those cold winter days.
Nothing like fresh herbs to toss in dishes during the winter.

Finally, preserve garden vegetables and fruits too. Planting a tomato plant on your deck or patio, and you will be able to freeze them for winter use. Not interested in vegetables, how fruits or sunflowers. So, preserve garden vegetables and fruits for a welcome winter treat.

You may also like: Johnny’s Seeds.