I love the garden. I love that I can start something from a tiny seed. Then, it often turns into something that feeds my family. I get to be outside, enjoy working with my hands. I am present when I am outside. My kids run around. They play in the dirt with me. They try new fruits and vegetables as they grow. I love it.

Then, while inside the kitchen, I feel present too. Cooking and preserving the abundance God gives us from that garden. Working with my hands to create from-scratch meals that nourish my family. Working in the kitchen has become a labor of love for my family. And as I enjoy more and more the fruit of the harvest, I too look at how I can care for all we have inside and out.

Gardening has shown me many things. All things can work together for the good of each other. The leaves that fall off the trees can be used as mulch to keep the garden beds moist. The tall grass can be used as hay for the chicken coup. The cedar chips from the chicken coup can be used as mulch in my flower beds. I can go on and on. And then there are the things that come from the kitchen that can benefit the garden as well.

My tips and tricks to replenish my garden from the kitchen:

Coffee Grounds

My used coffee grounds get added lightly to the tops of my indoor plants. This can help prevent fungal gnats from laying eggs. I also take them to the garden. I add them to my garden beds. My blueberries have been THRIVING this year thanks to this. The coffee grounds add a little bit of acidity to the soil, which the blueberries love. Other things that I’ve noticed have benefited are my mint plants, lemon bush, and my flowers! Coffee grounds are also a good source of nitrogen. Which will cause the greenery of your plants to grow!

I simply make my coffee in the mornings. Then I add my old, used, and ground-up beans into a bowl. Once a week, I go around adding the discarded old beans to the beds! Simple and easy.

Egg Shells

Next, I save my eggshells. I save them in the same bowl I keep my coffee grounds in. Simply because it’s easier this way for me. Some people bake their egg shells and then grind them up before using them in the garden. I don’t do that. I simply the eggshells in the bowl for about a week or so. Then I put on my gloves and crush them with my hands into the garden beds.

Listen, people are buying perlite for their garden beds to loosen the soil. They also do this to help the water flow through more easily through their dirt. Then we hear that eggshells take a long time to break down. So, why don’t we just use the eggshells in our gardens instead? You’re going to have them in your house anyway. They help the water flow through your garden. They help the soil become less compact.

Eggshells also have a slow-release calcium that adds to your plants’ nutrients. They also have magnesium and phosphorus. Hello, no more blossom end rot on your tomatoes, everyone! Some people use their eggshells in the garden to prevent pests like snails and such. And much more.

Banana Peels

Lastly, there are banana peels. I think that there are videos on soaking banana peels in water. Then, using that water to pour onto the plant you need it for. But I say, why not just cut the banana peel up into smaller chunks? Then leave it at the base of your plants. This way, everytime you water or it rains, those vitamins are once again slowly released to the base of those plants. Without you having to do extra work.

Bananas are full of vitamins like potassium, phosphorus, calcium, and magnesium. So this will cause your plants to bloom and grow strong.

Natural Vs. Unnatural

This is my soapbox here. But I believe that natural is better. Listen, much of what we do these days is because we’ve been taught these things. And buying fertilizers, perlite, and other things are things companies tell us we need. But are they actually better? And do they actually benefit our planet in the long haul? I mean…think about these things. If we’re going to treat our planet like a vending machine, eventually it’s not going to have much to give.

Take some time and look into how many nutrients apples have nowadays versus fifty years ago. The difference is astonishing.

And in my experience my garden was absolutely booming. And then, I added store bought fertilizer. I will never do that again. After the use of the fertilizer my garden boomed for a couple of months. And then the following year, nothing really grew much compared to the year before. My tomatoes weren’t ripening. There weren’t many of them growing either. There were barely any peppers growing from the plants. Meanwhile, my raised garden beds were flourishing, which never received fertilizer. Unnatural will always need more unnatural to replenish. Since doing that, I’ve focused my efforts on naturally providing my garden with nutrients. Like what I’ve mentioned above, and compost, and manure. And my garden has been growing better by 10 times since last year.

Don’t buy the hype. Just because it gives you temporary results, doesn’t mean they’re better results. Feed your garden with natural things, and it will thank you in the long run.