The Nude Gardener - Let's talk Fertilizer

Happy Growing, Gardeners!! Well, its the new year and planning my garden is well underway. I am excited about my expansion this year and have been doing a lot of research into fertilizers and raised bed soil. Today I am just going to discuss two fertilizers that are organic, nutrient rich, soil amending, and cheap as hell. You probably already have them in your kitchen and dont even know it. What are these wonder plant foods you ask? Believe it or not, potato water and rice. Since its the simplest of the two, lets talk about the potato water first. Most likely you boil potatoes for potato salad, mashed potatoes, soups and stews. Then you put a colander in the sink and pour the potatoes and water in, letting the water drain down the sink. Instead, use another pot or a bucket to catch the water. That water contains potassium for overall plant health and disease resistance, nitrogen for leaf development, phosphorus for root and flower development, calcium for good cell structure, and magnesium for chlorophyll production to aid in photosynthesis. These are great, quick uptake nutrients that can be a game changer in container gardening. Avoid using salted water (salt isnt particularly good for you, much less for plants) and make sure to let the water cool completely. Once cooled, just use it as you would for your regular watering routine. Be careful not to use it any more than once every two weeks as the starches can be detrimental when build up occurs. Otherwise, the starches are good for soil microorganisms and can help your soil improve. Now for the rice. There are three ways you can use rice for your raised bed or container garden. First, for plants like tomatoes, peppers, onions, garlic, or other plants you start indoors, throw a couple of tablespoons of rice into the hole during transplanting. Cover it with a half inch of dirt and put the plant on top of it. Rice is very rich in nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, iron, calcium, magnesium, and various B vitamins. As the rice breaks down its a long-term organic fertilizer for short term leaf and root development for young plants, and flower development for production, with the disease resistant properties of calcium and iron. The starch is also food for soil microorganisms and makes a good soil amendment. Second, boil a cup of rice in a quart of water. When the water turns cloudy, drain it into a bucket and set aside. The same nutrients exist, but in a much more concentrated amount. Add 2 more quarts of water before using it to avoid burning the plants or an unhealthy amount of starch, which can cause mold. This is great for container gardens but could also be good for raised beds after extended periods of rain has washed the nutrients out of the raised bed soil. It takes a while for solid fertilizers to replenish the nutrients, and this can help your plants survive until your other fertilizers can catch up again. Its best not to use this version more than once a month, though, as the starch can build up quickly. Now you might be considering putting some butter on that cooked rice and using it to fertilize you, but hang on a sec. Theres a third way to use it. You see, whats left in there can be an excellent soil amendment, with little effort on your part. Put that rice in a jar, fill the jar to within 1 inch with distilled water, cover it with cheese cloth or a fermentation lid, and set it in a cool dark corner for the next two weeks. This allows the rice to ferment, creating all kinds of healthy probiotics (good bacteria) that are fantastic for soil amendment. Again, dilute it and use as you would above. So, with some potatoes you are cooking anyway, and a bag of rice you might just have sitting around in the cupboard, you can make a few gallons of fertilizer that could have cost you a lot of money. Stay Naked The Nude Gardener