Potato peels: Your home garden's secret fertilising hack
Potato peels are often considered waste and usually end up in the bin. Discarding them in the bio-waste bin may still benefit the environment. However, there is more to gain by taking action yourself. Ever since I discovered the benefits they can offer in a home garden, I stopped disposing of potato peels. They become particularly useful in the summer, and until then, you can store them in the freezer.
Potato peels are rich in valuable nutrients such as potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, calcium, sodium, iron, zinc, and manganese. For this reason, they are an excellent natural fertilizer for many flowering plants. Unfortunately, fertilizer made from potato peels is not practical in every case. So before using it on your tomatoes, check which plants benefit and which they might harm.
What to water with potato peel fertiliser?
Fertilizer from peels is recommended to strengthen raspberries, currants, gooseberries, strawberries, flowering and decorative plants outside the garden. Raspberries will particularly benefit from its valuable properties. The high potassium and phosphorus content will accelerate flowering, resulting in fruit.
Which plants should not use this fertiliser?
Potato peels are unsuitable for acid-loving plants such as blueberries, cranberries, and rhododendrons. They are also unsuitable for watering nightshade family vegetables such as peppers and tomatoes because they can carry potato blight.
Storing potato peels for fertiliser
Before preparing the fertiliser, you need to collect a sufficient amount of potato peels. You can store scraps in sealed zip-lock bags in the freezer. Another clever way to store leftovers is to dry them in the oven.
How to do it? Spread them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and place them in an oven preheated to 100 degrees Celsius for 2-4 hours. When they become brittle, it's a sign you can take them out. Store the prepared peels in a dry and cool place.
How to make fertiliser from peels?
Pour boiling water over frozen or dried peels in a 1:10 ratio, using 450 grams of peels with 5 litres of water. Let it cool, strain it through a sieve and pour it into a bottle. Water plants with this fertilizer every 3-4 weeks.
