Adding natural and organic materials to amend your soil

Whew - how's that for a blog post title?

It's true, though, that this is a really good time to start thinking about amending your soil. I'm of the belief that when you are adding organic material to your soil you need a good couple of months for the materials to break down and filter into the soil.

As you know, I'm getting myself reading for another gardening year by cleaning up my yard. After I have my planting beds tucked in, I usually focus on the existing perennial plants, trees, and shrubs in other parts of my garden. In January and February - since they are not active growing months for me - I save certain kitchen scraps to make my own little "compost" to add to the soil.

Right now, I'm amending my rose plants and my hydrangea. I googled 'natural fertilizers rose bushes' a few years back and came across several suggestions of adding banana peels, egg shells, and coffee grounds to the soil.

I keep the coffee grounds container right next to my espresso machine and empty the used grounds into that. After the bucket is full, I make up my compost solution.

If you are not a coffee drinker, they have used grounds at Starbucks that they will give you for free. Coffee adds acidity to the soil.

Chop up the banana peels before mixing - they will break down faster that way. By the way, banana peels add potassium to the soil.

Let the egg shells dry naturally and then give them a few good whops to crack them up into little pieces. Shells will add calcium to the soil.

FYI:  I add lots of peat moss and coffee grounds to my blueberry plants, hydrangeas, and strawberry plants.

I add egg shells to hydrangeas, tomato plants (prevents blossom end rot), and anywhere I'm going to plant brassicas (like broccoli and cabbage).

I will add banana peel to just about anything since most plants like potassium.

You can use BONE MEAL for calcium and phosphorus and used when planting bulbs and tomato plants.

BLOOD MEAL adds nitrogen which is the one essential nutrient that is typically missing from soils (phosphorus and potassium being more common). Plants grown in soil lacking proper amounts of nitrogen will yellow from the leaves down due to nitrogen deficiency. Applying blood meal will help plants become green again