I Stopped Buying Fertilizers After Years of Gardening and Started Using This Instead

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For a long time, store-bought fertilizers felt like a normal part of gardening. Bags and bottles promising bigger plants and better harvests are everywhere at garden centers. But over the years, many gardeners start to realize something surprising: a lot of the best plant food is already sitting in the kitchen, compost pile, or backyard.

Instead of relying on packaged fertilizers, many gardeners gradually switch to natural soil boosters that are inexpensive, easy to use, and often completely free. These simple materials feed plants slowly while also improving the health of the soil itself.

Once these alternatives become part of a gardening routine, there’s often very little need for store-bought fertilizer at all. Here are some of the natural ways plants can be fed using materials that might otherwise be thrown away.

Banana Peels

Banana peels are one of the easiest natural fertilizers to use. They contain potassium, phosphorus, calcium, and magnesium nutrients that help support flowering and fruit production.

Tomatoes, roses, and peppers are especially known to benefit from the potassium found in banana peels.

How to use: Chop the peels into small pieces and bury them near the base of plants. They can also be soaked in water for a few days to create a simple banana peel tea that can be poured around plant roots.

Coffee Grounds

Used coffee grounds are rich in nitrogen, which encourages leafy growth in many plants. They also contain small amounts of magnesium, calcium, potassium, and iron.

Beyond nutrients, coffee grounds can help improve soil structure and moisture retention when used in moderation.

How to use: Sprinkle used grounds lightly around plants or add them to the compost pile. They can also be steeped in water overnight to create a mild liquid fertilizer.

Eggshells

Eggshells are mostly made of calcium, which helps strengthen plant cell walls and can support crops that are prone to calcium deficiencies, such as tomatoes and peppers.

Because they break down slowly, eggshells provide a steady source of calcium over time.

How to use: Crush eggshells into small pieces and mix them into the soil around plants, or soak them in water to make a calcium-rich watering solution.

Cooking Water

Water used for boiling vegetables, pasta, or potatoes often contains nutrients released during cooking. Instead of pouring this water down the drain, it can be used to feed plants.

Leafy greens such as kale, spinach, and lettuce can benefit from the extra minerals.

How to use: Let the cooking water cool completely before pouring it onto the soil. Make sure the water hasn’t been salted or mixed with oils.

Green Tea

Green tea can also serve as a gentle fertilizer for plants. The leaves contain nitrogen and trace minerals that support plant growth.

Some gardeners also believe green tea can help support beneficial soil microbes.

How to use: Brew a weak mixture using one tea bag per gallon of water. Once cooled, use it to water plants occasionally during the growing season.

Epsom Salt

Epsom salt contains magnesium and sulfur, two nutrients plants use for healthy growth and photosynthesis.

Flowering plants such as roses and tomatoes sometimes benefit from additional magnesium during the growing season.

How to use: Dissolve one tablespoon of Epsom salt in a gallon of water and apply it to the soil around plants about once a month.

Compost Tea

Compost is one of the most powerful soil builders in any garden. Turning compost into a liquid form makes it easy to deliver nutrients directly to plant roots.

Compost tea also introduces beneficial microorganisms that help support healthy soil life.

How to use: Soak finished compost in water for 24–48 hours, strain the liquid, and use it to water plants during periods of active growth.

Grass Clippings

Fresh grass clippings are rich in nitrogen and break down quickly, adding organic matter to the soil. When used as mulch, they also help retain moisture and suppress weeds.

How to use: Spread a thin layer of untreated grass clippings around plants. As they decompose, they slowly release nutrients into the soil.

Comfrey Tea

Comfrey leaves are packed with potassium, nitrogen, and phosphorus, making them an excellent plant food. Many gardeners use comfrey specifically to support flowering and fruit production.

How to use: Soak chopped comfrey leaves in water for several weeks, then dilute the liquid before applying it to plants. The mixture is strong and has a powerful smell, but it can be very effective.

Wood Ash

Wood ash from untreated firewood contains potassium and calcium. It can also help raise soil pH in gardens with overly acidic soil.

Because of its alkalinity, it should be used carefully and not applied around acid-loving plants.

How to use: Sprinkle a small amount of ash on garden beds and gently mix it into the soil.

Manure

Well-aged manure from animals such as cows, rabbits, or horses has been used as fertilizer for centuries.

It adds nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and organic matter while improving soil structure.

How to use: Apply fully composted manure as a top dressing around established plants or mix it into garden beds before planting.

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