"If ye are prepared ye shall not fear" - DON'T PROCRASTINATE
Why?
This blog is to help you in preparing for an emergency. It also contains other information that you might find spiritually up-lifting. This is not an official website of "The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints". This site is maintained by Barry McCann (barry@mail.com)
Food preservation and storage is a large part of being a prepper. For most of us, our very first action as a prepper was to buy some food (probably rice and beans) and put it away in our basement or pantry. We instinctively recognize our need for food and the fact that we are dependent on a fragile supply chain in order to keep eating. Those first purchases can easily come out of that, without even a passing familiarity with the idea of prepping.
But food storage has its problems. If all we do is buy a couple of bags of rice and beans, hiding them in the corner of our basement, there’s a good possibility that when we go back for that food, it will have been attacked by insects and rodents.
Of course, that problem doesn’t exist with canned foods, as canning is still, in many ways, the ultimate food preservation technique. But canned food is heavier and takes up more room than dried food does. Cans can become damaged or rusty as well, destroying their integrity.
The other problem with stockpiling food is that of space. Modern homes are not designed with an overabundance of storage, regardless of how much we need it. Unless your home has an unfinished basement, chances are that you don’t have enough storage for the things you’ve accumulated over the years, let alone having space that you can set aside for stockpiling food and other survival supplies.
In the area where I live homes don’t have basements, due to the high water table. So even though I have a large home, it is very limited in the available storage space. We have an attic, with a pull-down ladder to get into it, but that’s the wrong place to store food. It can easily top 130°F up there in the summertime, which is hard on many food products.
For many, the solution is to buy a shipping container or rent one of those mini-storage spaces. But those solutions both have problems. Shipping containers can get as hot as my attic in the summertime and cold enough to freeze in the winter. And a rented storage space isn’t a whole lot better; besides being off-site, which carries its own risks.
So what do we do? This is where it might be a good idea to turn back to the solutions of our ancestors. For them, the obvious answer to their food storage needs was to go underground, either using pre-existing caves or excavating their own to make a root cellar.
A root cellar is nothing more than an underground pantry. The name comes from the fact that they were primarily used for the storage of root vegetables (carrots, potatoes, onions, etc.). Keeping these underground extended their shelf-life, much like keeping them in a refrigerator does. But the root cellar doesn’t require electricity as it is naturally cooled by being underground.
Adding a root cellar to your home or homestead does two important things for you.
First of all, it provides you with an area which you can dedicate to food storage, as you build your prepping stockpile. No longer would you have to stack five-gallon buckets of rice and beans behind the sofa or hide them in the closet. They would be in an out of the way place; and more importantly, out of sight of nosy friends and neighbors.
In addition, you would have natural refrigeration for use when the power goes out. While root cellars don’t typically get as cold as a refrigerator, they will get down to about 55°F, which is good enough to keep a lot of food from spoiling, especially vegetables.
However, before grabbing your shovel, I’d recommend counting the cost. Building a root cellar isn’t exactly a cheap undertaking. The one prefab root cellar that is on the market costs several thousand dollars; well beyond what many people can afford to pay. While building your own is considerably cheaper, you can still expect to invest a couple of grand and a lot of backbreaking labor in the project.
There are a few makeshift options that I’ve seen, which would work. The best of these is to install an old refrigerator (non-working) into the ground, laying on its back with the door facing up. Roughly the same thing can be done with a large, heavy-duty storage bin. While not far underground, when covered with a layer of insulation, such as straw, these options will keep your food cool. But that’s only going to give you limited storage space.
One of the best options I’ve seen is to build a root cellar in the corner of your basement, assuming you have a basement to use. Basements enjoy the same advantage of being cooler, because they are underground. Properly built, with the right ductwork to let the cool night air in and vent the warmer air out, a basement root cellar will work fairly well.
The other advantage of a basement root cellar is that it is contained within your home. In a post-disaster scenario, where you would be trying to hide your food from prying eyes, runs to an outdoor root cellar might be noticed, but runs to your basement would be concealed from sight.
While that’s a great investment in your family’s security, don’t count on it raising the value of your home. Few will understand the true value of having a root cellar in their backyard, and so would most likely just close it up and keep it closed.
So consider building yourself a root cellar. The added storage space, as well as the ability to have refrigeration without electrical power is well worth the cost and effort. You won’t have to can all the produce from your garden either; you’ll have someplace to keep it cool and ready for use.
Those of you old enough to remember the TV show The Honeymooners, may also recall their ice box, which (spoiler alert!) is on this list.
But if storing your food next to a block of ice isn’t appealing, I’ve got six other refrigeration options for off-grid living. One of which is certain to be a perfect fit.
Refrigeration as a modern day convenience
The first home refrigerator was invented in 1913, though it was another 10 years before Frigidaire invented a self-contained unit. And it wasn’t until 1940 when the fridge/freezer combination we’re used to today was invented.
Factors to consider
The problem is, a typical American refrigerator isn’t going to work well off-grid. Which is exactly why I put together this roundup. And also why I’m starting off with these important factors to keep in mind.
Where do you live?
What resources do you have at your disposal?
What’s your climate like?
How much money do you want to invest in refrigeration, and the power necessary to run it?
What size do you need? Are you a single guy, or The Waltons?
There is one other thing I’d like to point out first: Even though we Americans refrigerate nearly everything, this doesn’t mean that everything actually needs to be refrigerated.
Solving that riddle will no doubt reduce your refrigeration needs, and here’s a handy guide to help with that.
Also, we’ll be listing the easiest, cheapest, and least technologically-reliant first, and moving toward more conventional and convenient options.
zeer pot is an evaporative cooler that was invented in the 1990s in Nigeria by Mohammed Bah Abba, though there is evidence of this style of refrigeration going back a couple thousand years to ancient Egypt.
The mechanics of it are simple:
Take two clay pots and nest them together.
Fill the gap between them with wet sand.
Place your produce in the smaller pot, and cover with a lid or even a towel.
Place it in an area that is both shady, and ideally has a bit of a breeze.
As the water evaporates (by the wind, not the sun; this is important.) it chills the pot.
It essentially uses the water as refrigerant. As the sand dries out, you’ll need to keep adding more water.
Don’t expect your zeer pot to get as cold as a refrigerator. Though if your climate is dry, and the area is windy, temps can get as low as 40 degrees Fahrenheit.
Zeer pots don’t work as well in really humid areas. And they will go through water quickly in drier climates. Expect to add water to the sand about three times each day. And also expect to use as much as two gallons of water per day.
Which leads us to …
You’ll have to decide which resource you have more of or want to conserve more. Those of you living in a desert may not find this water consumption worth it, while others with easy access to water may feel differently.
For those of you interested in putting together your own, here are some instructions for building the Cadillac of zeer pots.
The one advantage with coolers is they’re easy. There’s nothing to build; just buy it, and you’re ready to go.
However, there are a few disadvantages.
Depending on your climate, and the quality of cooler you have, you may be getting ice frequently. And this source of ice will not be cheap, and it may not be close. ( Unless you have an ice house, more on this later.)
If you go with a high-quality cooler, like the Yeti brand, then you’re ice will last longer, but you’re also going to pay a few hundred dollars for your cooler.
And then there’s the issue of soggy food. Because even with your best laid plans, intentions, and organization, water has a way of getting things wet. Wet hot dogs – not a big deal. Wet cheese – well, that’s just disgusting.
An ice house is simply a building used to store ice. It can be above ground, below ground, or partially-below ground.
Keeping your ice below ground will obviously keep it colder, like a root cellar, which will help you maintain your supply through the summer.
If you’re storing your ice above ground, you may want to insulate it. Sawdust and straw are both commonly-used insulators.
Just like you nested two pots together for the zeer pot, you can nest two structures together. Then pack the space in between with your insulator of choice.
While storing the ice is pretty straightforward and easy, harvesting your ice isn’t. You’ll be cutting it from frozen lakes and rivers using a power saw or a machine specifically built to harvest ice.
The video below shows a bit more how that’s done, its a fascinating process.
This refrigeration idea is obviously location-dependent, it’s also quite intensive, and maybe even a bit risky. So factor that into your decision.
Root cellars are fantastic options even in conjunction with another main source of refrigeration. There’s nothing like the security of having a backup supply of food on hand, just in case.
Historically, root cellars were used to keep root vegetables fresh through the winter. However, besides storing the summer’s harvest in whole-food form, you can also store canned and preserved food that you prepared from that harvest.
The Farmer’s Almanac states that at 10 feet below ground you’ll find what you most need in any root cellar – temperature stability.
Which means you’ll be able to keep foods warmer in the winter, and cooler in the summer.
Any type of structure that provides the natural insulation of the earth will work, such as
Basements with a few modifications
Structures built into the ground or side of a hill
Barrel or garbage can
Remember our zeer pot. You can do the same thing with a garbage can. Dig the hole a little wider than the can, and deep enough so that the lid is just a few inches above ground. And then insulate the gap between earth and can with mulch or straw.
There are five things any root cellar needs to function properly:
Ventilation
Shelter of the earth
Darkness
Humidity – between 85-95%
Shelving – optional
If you’re interested in learning more about root cellars, easy cellar has a fantastic comprehensive guide.
5. Propane Powered Refrigerators
Propane works great for heating, as in water heaters, stoves, ovens, and home heaters. And they’re popular in RVs. Though people who have RVs aren’t generally using them in cold climates. The whole point is to move with the good weather.
You may be wondering, what does that have to do with anything?
Well, most propane refrigerators must be vented,which means busting through the exterior of your home and putting in vents. So when the weather turns nasty, as it tends to do in winter, you’ve got cold air venting into your house. But that’s not the worst part, as Ethan Waldman discovered.
Ethan, who lives in a cold climate, discovered that propane refrigerators don’t work very well when temperatures drop to the degree that they do way up north.
And without getting too technical (you can follow the link above for the technical), the absence of heat caused everything in his fridge to freeze.
The best that can be said for propane-powered refrigeration is that it’s a cheaper, out-of-box solution than a solar-powered fridge.
There’s not much in the way of initial set-up, except for those vents. And that lack of infrastructure may be appealing to some.
This one has some good reviews and may be worth investigating further:
A 10 cubic foot refrigerator will use about .35 gallons of propane per day. If propane costs $5 per gallon, this means you spend around $50 per month. Over the course of one year, that’s $600, and over the course of 10 years, it’s $6000. That kind of money is more than adequate to cover a hefty solar set-up.
But even then, there are other issues, such as …
More maintenance required
More expensive than solar fridges
More expensive to repair
The hassle of getting refills
Pilot lights go out
Cleaning couplers and flues
Propane could go way up in price
You cannot produce it yourself
For a lot of folks, moving off the grid is as much about independence as anything else.
Do you want to have to rely on a source of power you have absolutely no control over?
Yes, you can’t control the sun, or the wind, but when the sun stops shining, none of us will have to worry about anything ever again.
6. Solar Powered Refrigerators
Any refrigerator will run on solar energy provided you have an inverter – which converts DC battery power to 120 volt AC power – and enough energy to get it running, and keep it running. Or you could just buy a solar powered refrigerator.
A solar powered fridge will cost you more upfront. But you’ll eliminate the need for an inverter — though you may need one for other appliances anyway. And it’ll require a lot less energy, which means fewer batteries and solar panels.
Sundanzer make great solar powered fridges, you can have a look at some of their models on Amazon:
Two things to keep in mind if going with a solar refrigerator. A one-degree difference in temperature can mean a 5% difference in energy consumption. So get a fridge with a thermostat that you can control.
The other thing that contributes to energy efficiency is the style of the refrigerator.
The most efficient fridge/freezer combo is when the freezer is on top. Cold air is heavy, so with that style the cold air naturally falls into the refrigerator chamber without the use of fans or pumps.
When the freezer is on the bottom, it requires more energy to push that cold air upward. The other type, the side-by-side fridge/freezer, is also not as efficient.
A solar powered refrigerator is a significant investment to be sure. However, unlike regular refrigerators, they’ll require much less hardware to operate. And when compared with propane refrigerators, they’re cheaper. Plus, you have the added bonus of never having to worry about the cost of propane going crazy, or even one day disappearing.
But if cost is an issue, and you still want something convenient and energy efficient, well, number seven on our list may be the perfect solution you’ve been looking for.
7. Chest Freezer Conversion
Tom Chalko, an Australian inventor, was the first person to come up with this, it seems. Who can be sure?
His dream is to live a near-zero emission life, and this fairly-simple and cheap conversion gets him pretty close. Ever heard of having your cake and eating it, too? This is it!
Once you have the few parts you need – an external thermostat, a temp sensor (thermistor), and a few smaller parts – it takes only about a half hour to convert the chest freezer into a super-efficient refrigerator.
A chest freezer has better thermal insulation than refrigerators, which allows for less energy consumption than refrigerators even at much lower temperatures.
And remember that fun fact from above, about how cold air is heavy? In a chest freezer, when you open the door, that cold air doesn’t feel the need to escape.
If interested in doing a chest freezer conversion yourself, check out the video below. It’s easy enough that anyone can do it. And so efficient that everyone should be doing it.
The one tip I repeatedly came upon during the research for this article was this: Use what nature already provides. Work with it, not against it, and you’ll be well on your way to off-grid living success.
So while propane refrigerators may not make sense for those of you in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, an ice house just might. While those of you in the southwest, who get upwards of 320 sunny days each year, will likely find solar a reliable resource.
And all of us, once you get 10 feet below ground, can make use of the earth’s consistent, year-round temps to store food.
Thursday, January 17, 2019
Confused about the 'super blood wolf moon eclipse' that's coming soon? Here's your guide
Unquestionably, the main event is the total lunar eclipse, also known as an eclipse of the moon, which will start late on Sunday, Jan. 20 and finish early on Monday, Jan. 21.
This type of eclipse happens when the moon passes fully into the shadow of Earth.
Beyond that, despite all the hullabaloo over the various names, there's still only one moon. There's no separate super, blood, wolf or anything else moon.
Here's some more info about this month's sky spectacle:
Total lunar eclipse: You'll have to stay up late for this event, so drink some coffee and grab some blankets.
A total lunar eclipse occurs when the moon and the sun are on exact opposite sides of Earth, according to NASA. When this happens, Earth blocks the sunlight that normally reaches the moon. Instead of that sunlight hitting the moon’s surface, Earth's shadow falls on it.
Starting at 9:36 p.m. EST Jan. 20, sky watchers will notice a "little notch is taken out of the moon," according to Brian Murphy, director of Indiana's Holcomb Observatory & Planetarium and Butler University professor.
"The moon starts to enter into the earth's shadow in a portion called the umbra when the sun is totally blocked out," he said. "Earth is moving from right to left through the shadow."
At 10:34 p.m., it moves into a partial eclipse, and starting at 11:41 p.m., the full eclipse begins; a maximum eclipse occurs at 12:12 a.m. Jan. 21. The total eclipse ends at 12:44 a.m.
Super moon. A super-moon occurs when the full moon is at the closest point of its orbit to the Earth, which is also called the perigee.
That makes the moon look extra-close and extra bright – up to 14% bigger and 30% brighter than a full moon at its farthest point from Earth, known as the apogee, NASA said.
This is the first of three super moons in 2019. The others will be on Feb. 19 and March 21. Of these, the Feb. 19 full moon will be the closest and largest full super moon of 2019.
"Blood" moon. That is just the reddish color the moon will appear during the total lunar eclipse. Indeed, the moon won't turn black or vanish from the sky; instead it will appear to be a "reddish copper color," Murphy said, hence the name blood moon.
Although the moon is in Earth's shadow, some sunlight still reaches the moon. The sunlight passes through Earth's atmosphere, which causes our atmosphere to filter out most of the blue light.
Some sunlight reaches the Earth's atmosphere, which envelops the moon and gives it the rich color.
"Wolf" moon. According to the Old Farmer's Almanac, Native Americans called the January full moon the "wolf" moon because it appeared when wolves howled in hunger outside the villages.
This is an age-old practice, the almanac said. Ancient peoples commonly tracked the seasons by following the lunar calendar (vs. today’s solar calendar).
For millenniums, people across the world, including Native Americans, named the months after nature’s cues.
Full moon: Nothing special here: A full moon occurs every 28 days, so there have been a few billion full moons in Earth's history. This is just the moment when the bright side of the moon entirely faces the Earth.
While the moon will be full precisely on Monday, Jan. 21, at 12:16 a.m. EST, according to space.com, it'll still be plenty big through the rest of the night and for the next night or two. Just as it has for billions of years, the full moon will be visible to everyone around the world, barring pesky clouds.
And speaking of clouds, here's the big question: Will they ruin the view? Unfortunately, since the big event is more than two weeks away, accurate weather forecasts are not possible yet.
If you miss this month's total lunar eclipse, you have to wait until May 26, 2021, for the next one here in the U.S. The next partial lunar eclipse will be this summer, on July 16, but will only be visible in Africa and portions of Asia.
I first learned about petroleum jelly for survival when researching ways to make my ferro rod more effective for starting fires. However, the more research I did the more uses I found for this miracle substance. Petroleum jelly is the generic term for Vaseline, a petroleum byproduct that is technically considered a lubricant.
It should be noted that Vaseline is not the only brand of petroleum jelly on the market. When addressing its uses, I will be looking specifically at Vaseline. This product is non-carcinogenic, highly refined, and triple purified. It is actually an organic product that contains no fragrances, colors, or irritants. It hypo-allergenic and will not block your pores. For some of the uses listed below, other brands of petroleum jelly may not work as well.
In this article I will cover all of the potential uses of this substance. You will find that keeping petroleum jelly in your bug out bag or hiking pack is always a good idea.
Uses for Petroleum Jelly
Accelerant – Petroleum jelly is great to help start a fire. Many survivalists and campers will dip cotton balls in petroleum jelly and keep them in a zipper bag. These cotton balls will take a spark and stay lit for about 10 minutes even in windy or wet conditions. In the military, gauze pads are often rubbed with petroleum jelly so they can double as a fire starter and as a treatment for wounds. In reality, Vaseline can be added to any fluffy tinder to create a fire-starter. Some people like to add it to dryer lint and stuff it into a toilet paper roll.
I realized the importance of accelerants with a ferro rod during my very first survival challenge. I had gathered wood and a tinder bundle, but it was getting dark quickly and the tinder would not catch. Strike after strike shot sparks into the bundle with no results. It was a bit damp and the tinder was not as fine as I would have hoped. A storm as moving in, and I knew I would not make it through the night without a fire. I finally remembered that I had a little accelerant in my pack and added it to a piece of cloth I ripped off of my shirt sleeve. A few minutes later I had a roaring fire and was much more confident in my chances of survival that night. Since that night, I always carry some Vaseline cotton balls in my pack if I can. A ferro rod alone is often not enough.
You can also make a candle out of Vaseline. Simply spoon a big glob of jelly into a small dish or ash tray. Take a cotton ball and twist it into a wick. Rub a little jelly on it and stick the end in the dish. Light the tip of the wick and it should stay lit until all the petroleum jelly has all burned away.
Skin Protection – The second reason I learned to use petroleum jelly was to protect my skin. Specifically, I used it to protect against frostbite. I was on a winter challenge and my face was exposed to -20F wind chill. I smeared a moderate layer over exposed skin and had no issues with frostbite or wind burn. I have also used it for chapped lips in place of chapstick.
Lubricant for Machinery – This is the advertised purpose for petroleum jelly. Vaseline works great to silence squeaky hinges on a door. It works to lubricate a bicycle chain if you have no grease. You can lubricate any wheels that have ball bearings, and can grease keyholes so that keys continue to work smoothly. Vaseline can be applied to light bulb sockets or to appliance racks in refrigerators or ovens to prevent sticking. It helps shower curtains and closet doors slide more easily. Petroleum jelly keeps windows sliding smoothly. It prevents zippers on clothing from jamming up. It also prevents corrosion on batteries and rust on any metal surface.
First Aid – Petroleum jelly works effectively for many first aid applications. It holds moisture into the skin while also protecting from the harsh elements that can dry out the skin. It helps stitched wounds heal faster. If dealing with chapped or dry hands, apply Vaseline to the affected area and then put on gloves for 20 minutes. It protects minor scrapes, burns, and cuts, but do not use it on severe burns as it can cause infection. It can be applied to any dry skin including dry, cracked heels. If socks are worn over Vaseline you will wake up to softer feet.
Petroleum jelly is also great for skin irritation. It can be used to treat and prevent diaper rash for babies. It works well to prevent chaffing on long hikes, and can help prevent blisters on your feet. As stated before, it can prevent irritation from wind or cold. It can be used to treat hangnails on fingers and toes. Vaseline can even be combined with Epsom salt to create a scrub for your face or feet.
Insect Control – On hard surfaces, Vaseline can keep crawling insects like ants away. This is ideal to avoid insects in your pet food or food storage. You can also apply petroleum jelly to a piece of paper for makeshift fly paper. As flies land on the paper, they will get stuck and die.
Lubricate Candle Holders – As preppers and survivalists, we use candles on a regular basis. As the wax melts and runs down the sides of the candle, it cakes around the candle holder. This makes it tough to remove the candle without breaking it and making a mess. If you first apply Vaseline to the candle holder, it will easily slide out when it is time to swap out for a new one.
Restore Leather – Preppers tend to have a good amount of leather in their gear, and it is not always treated well. There are plenty of leather protections products and conditioners that can be used, but they really are not needed. Just a dab of petroleum jelly will restore cracking, rough leather to a soft sheen.
Shaving – There are two uses for Vaseline when shaving. The most common use is to apply it to the shaved area afterwards to soothe irritation and to hold in moisture. However, you can also use it in place of shaving cream. If you have no shaving cream available, apply a small amount to the area, shave, and then wipe everything clean afterwards.
Substitutes for Petroleum Jelly
Despite being organic, Vaseline is a product derived from the fossil fuel industry. Some people have chosen to find alternatives with a more nature friendly source.
Waxelene – This product is certified organic and uses no petroleum or artificial products. It fills most of the same purposes as Vaseline. Waxelene is made of only organic soy oil, organic rosemary oil, beeswax and Vitamin E.
Alba Botanica Un-Petroleum Jelly – This product is made from botanical waxes and pure plant oils to provide a petroleum free alternative to Vaseline. It is made with entirely vegetarian ingredients, and is advertised to soothe, protect, and moisturize the skin.
Coconut Oil – This natural product has several uses and is a great way to treat skin without using petroleum product. Because it is all natural, it can also be used for cooking and other purposes.
Honey – This sugary substance is a super food for survival, and it is always smart to have some around. While it does not work as a lubricant or accelerant, it will heal and soothe skin. It is also a great source of energy when added to other foods, and it has no shelf life. Honey will never go bad. Ideally you want to purchase local organic honey to get the best health benefits from the product.
Olive oil – Again, olive oil can have dual purposes. It is great for lubrication and can also be used for cooking and other purposes.
In ConclusionBees wax – This natural wax is often used for lip balm and works well to protect and moisturize the skin. It can be used as an accelerant, and some of us remember making bees wax candles as children. It serves many of the same purposes as Vaseline.
When putting together any pack for survival or prepping purposes, I am always looking for items with multiple uses. This makes petroleum jelly vital for any pack. A small container of this goo could easily save your life in the right circumstances. Just the first aid and accelerant purposes alone make it worth its weight in gold. My suggestion is to get a small tub for each of your packs and get familiar with these uses. I think you will find yourself using it sooner than you might expect.
Thursday, January 10, 2019
Fertilizer is a key component of successful gardening, and using it appropriately will result in better quality crops. When we think of fertilizer, most of us think store-bought; rarely do we think to make it ourselves.
While it’s true that the most “effective” fertilizers are manufactured using complicated chemical processes, it is interesting to note that some homemade fertilizers, if made and applied correctly, can be just as effective, and they won’t poison your soil.
In this article, we will explore some simple ingredients, formulas, preparation and application techniques to help you harness the power of DIY fertilizer on your homestead.
ORGANIC VERSUS INORGANIC FERTILIZER
There’s a big difference between organic and inorganic fertilizer. Inorganic or chemical fertilizers are made of synthetic ingredients like nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium by complex manufacturing and chemical processes. These fertilizers are usually highly concentrated and made mostly for commercial use.
Organic fertilizers (also available in stores) are made of natural ingredients like animal feed and food scraps, and are less concentrated than inorganic ones. Organic fertilizer usually contains nitrogen but also has other elements that are beneficial to the soil and the organisms that live in it.
Since chemical fertilizer is mass produced using synthetic ingredients, it’s cheaper than organic fertilizer. Cost is often a big factor when considering what fertilizer to use however, one should assess carefully the effect chemical fertilizer has on their soil. It could be costly and time consuming in the end to correct the secondary effects of prolonged use of chemical fertilizers. Using store-bought organic fertilizer could be the solution, but even though the packaging says organic, the true “organic nature” of the ingredients could sometimes be called into question. In an aim to remain competitive, some manufacturers of organic fertilizer may opt to purchase cheap raw materials that could be contaminated with chemicals. While the ingredients are organic, they are adulterated with inorganic and sometimes toxic matter, defeating the purpose of using organic fertilizer in the first place!
Organic fertilizers release nutrients slowly to the plants, and therefore their use should be carefully timed to benefit from them. Using them too early or too late in the season could result in nutrients releasing at the wrong time, rending it useless to the plant.
The choice between organic and inorganic can be tricky, and working knowledge of DIY fertilizer as an alternative could help you find the best solution for your homestead.
ADVANTAGES OF DIY FERTILIZER
Cost
Making your own fertilizer is an appealing solution when you consider that it can be made quite cheaply. In most cases, your main ingredients are either free or cost very little, since they’re common household items and kitchen scraps.
Easy to make and use
DIY fertilizer requires very little technical knowledge. A good example of basic DIY fertilizer is the process of simply cutting up and burying banana peels into a planting hole.
Self-sufficiency
Being free from having to depend on commercial solutions is a worthy goal for any homesteader. While it is not easily achieved, one may decide to use a combination of DIY and commercial fertilizer until they get the hang of it.
Easy disposal of leftovers
This is a great way to get rid of leftovers. Kitchen scraps are thrown away anyway, so why not put them to work in your garden?
DISADVANTAGES OF DIY FERTILIZER
I do believe that the advantages of DIY fertilizer outweigh the disadvantages, but knowing what they are will help you make an informed decision.
Quality control
Since DIY fertilizer is made from very simple ingredients and techniques, the quality and nutritive values may be variable. Your ingredients could contain harmful bacteria and since there is no way for you to check if they do, you could possibly do more harm to your plants than good. Testing out your fertilizer on a few plants will help you verify its quality and effectiveness before using it on your whole garden.
Slower acting
It may take some time for the nutrients in your DIY fertilizer to be broken down by the soil and used by your plants. Commercial fertilizer, especially in a chemical form, is already broken down into nutrients and ready to be absorbed by plants. Using some of the recipes in this guide to process your ingredients into a form that can be used by plants more easily will be helpful.
Quantity
Getting enough DIY fertilizer could be a challenge. For example, it may be impractical to supplement your crops with banana peels alone, as there are only so many of them lying around; how many bananas do you eat? It is therefore easy to run out of DIY fertilizer if it is relied upon as the sole provider of additional food for your plants. Trying to ration your DIY fertilizer will only lead to stunted growth and poor results.
UNDERSTANDING FERTILIZER
Fertilizer comprises of two main types of nutrients, macro and micro. Essential nutrients for your plants are macronutrients and therefore most fertilizer is made from these. Commercially produced fertilizer that is macronutrient based contains little or no micronutrients. Macronutrients can also be called primary nutrients.
On the packaging of macronutrient fertilizer, you will normally notice the letters NPK. This stands for
N- Nitrogen, responsible for the quick growth of foliage and leaves.
K- Potassium, plays an important role in blossoming and the growth of fruits.P- Phosphorus, responsible for the development of the plant’s roots.
Several mineral micronutrients, namely calcium, magnesium, and copper are also essential to plant growth even though they are required in far lesser quantities. This does not mean that they are any less important. The terms secondary nutrients and micronutrients can be used interchangeably.
Non-mineral nutrients like hydrogen, oxygen and carbon are also essential to plant growth and are obtained by the plant through the leaves to aid in photosynthesis. Trace minerals like boron, copper, chloride, manganese, zinc and molybdenum are taken up by the plant from the soil through their roots.
Once you have tested your soil you will be able to determine what minerals are lacking and therefore what is required of your fertilizer to improve the soil.
TESTING YOUR SOIL
Soil testing is an important preliminary step that will help make the decision of which DIY fertilizers to use and in what quantities. Without knowing what your soil lacks you will not be able to supplement it correctly.
An excellent soil test kit can be found here. Not only will it tell you your soil pH level but provide information on sunlight levels and moisture, too.
ALKALINE SOILS (High pH, above 6.5)
Alkaline soils are normally lacking in all the macronutrients as well as calcium, magnesium and sulfur. Look out for solutions in this guide that have these nutrients to improve or reduce the alkalinity of your soil if your soil test sample comes back with a value higher than 6.5.
ACIDIC SOILS (Low pH, below 6)
Acidic soils normally lack micronutrients and therefore their pH needs to be increased. Look out for the following microelements in this guide if your soil pH comes back with a figure lower than six: calcium, boron, copper, chloride, manganese, zinc and molybdenum.
NEUTRAL SOIL (pH between 6-6.5)
Neutral soil is normally preferred by most plants. In this state, it will require the least amount of fertilizer. Depending on the plant, adding some fertilizer in moderate amounts to neutral soil will result in excellent plants and yield.
DIY FERTILIZER
In this section, we will look at some of the things that can be added to your fertilizer. We will look at preparation methods, processing techniques and application.
Bananas
Banana peels are rich in potassium and therefore good for potassium loving plants like camellias, azaleas, and tomatoes. Bananas are also rich in phosphorus, calcium and other micro-nutrients.
Application (Raw form)
You can add bananas to your compost heap or bury them underneath your plants. For example, adding a banana peel to the bottom of your tomato-planting hole will allow it enough time to decompose when its nutrients are needed during the flowering and fruiting stage.
A good tip here is to chop them up into small pieces before adding them to your soil or compost pile. This will help them decompose faster.
Banana Tea fertilizer
You can make a more concentrated liquid form of this fertilizer. Your plants will love it as its nutrients are easily absorbed. The following recipe will make a perfect liquid banana-based fertilizer.
Chop 5 or 6 banana peels per 1 liter of fertilizer.
Boil them in a pot for about 15 minutes and use a strainer to separate the peels from the liquid. Use peels directly in your garden or add them to your compost heap.
Mix 2 liters of water with 1 liter of banana tea solution. Diluting your solution will reduce its potency. An undiluted solution can cause damage to your plant.
Alternatively, simply chop your banana peels, place them in a jar and fill the jar with water. Leave them to sit for 48 hours before straining them and using your leftover banana peels in the garden or on your compost pile. The link below will explain this process in detail.
A good-sized steel strainer can be purchased here.
Dehydrated Powdered Banana fertilizer
If you have many banana peels, then making powder is a good idea. When made into powder banana peel fertilizer will store for a longer period and will not lose its nutritional value or ferment.
To make this fertilizer, chop up 15 to 20 banana peels and place them in a dehydrator or on dehydration sheets. If you do not have a dehydrator, simply place them in the oven on the lowest heat setting. Leave the door open while you do this. You will need to be patient as the oven method can take a very long time. You can also dry them in the microwave. Once your bananas are dry simply grind them to make a fine powder and store in an airtight container for future use.
You can purchase an inexpensive dehydrator here. Dehydrating sheets can also be purchased here.
Application (Processed Form)
Use the banana liquid fertilizer to water your plants. Simply place the solution into your watering can and fill with water and water over your plants.
Mix one tablespoon into a 32 oz (1 liter) spray bottle and use as a foliage spray. Make sure to use it in the late afternoon. If applied when the sun is at full strength it could burn your plants.
Banana powder fertilizer can also be used on the surface by placing 1 tablespoon a few inches away from your plant stem. You can also place the same amount in a planting hole. Cover the powder with a few inches of soil before placing your seedling in the hole to avoid it being burned.
Since banana peel fertilizer contains a high amount of potassium, too much of it can be harmful to your plants. It can deplete magnesium form the soil if over applied. To reduce the possibility of this, mix your powder with Epson salts. This is discussed later in the recipes section.
Benefits
Getting high-quality fruit or flowers is possible with this fertilizer. Banana peels will also promote the development of strong roots.
Blackstrap Molasses
This sugary addition to your garden will make your plants healthier by feeding the microorganisms that live in the soil. It provides the tiny microbes with the required energy to improve the quality of your soil. Microbes in your soil, like bacteria, will thrive on the sugar that is contained in molasses. This is a good source of carbohydrates for these microbes.
Preparation
Remember to use only unsulfured molasses. The sulfur in molasses is meant to kill microbes while the aim of using this as a fertilizer is to feed them. Simply add 3 tablespoons of molasses to 1 gallon of water and stir well to make this fertilizer.
Application
Water your plants with this mix using 2 cups for small plants, 4 for medium ones and 6 for large plants.
Benefits
Molasses is good for the microbes in your soil. It will increase the bacteria that microbes feed on and this, in turn, creates more food for your plants to grow. Molasses is a good chelating agent, meaning it helps to turn other minerals in the soil into a state that is more usable by the plant.
You can use molasses in combination with other ingredients that are listed in this guide.
Matches
You might never think to use matches as a fertilizer, but lo and behold, you can. While it may be deemed impractical, as it is hard to get enough matches to fertilize a whole garden, one never knows when this info may come in handy.
Preparation
Bury matchbox next to plant, or place box in water and leave overnight to dissolve the nutrients into the water, making a solution.
Application
All you need to do is to bury a matchbox next to your plant or if you decide to soak it overnight, you can then pour the solution around your plant.
If you would like to save on matchsticks, bury 10 sticks around each plant headfirst approximately 2 to 3 inches from the stem. Ensure that your match does not come into direct contact with your stem and remember to water the plants well.
Benefits
Matches contain phosphorus, sulfur, and magnesium. It will help increase the acidity of the soil and is very good for plants like tomatoes and peppers.
Weeds
A surprising addition to this list is weeds. They’re packed with important nutrients for your plants and turning them into fertilizer is a great way to get rid of them (and get revenge for having to pull them)! Varieties of weeds to consider are burdock, horsetail, and chickweed.
Preparation
You can either work your weeds into a compost heap or make a liquid solution.
To make a liquid solution:
Place weeds into a 5-gallon bucket. Place a brick over them to ensure that they remain submerged when you add water. For every 1 pound of weeds, add 8 cups of water.
Stir the mix weekly, once a week for 5 weeks. Make sure during the process that your bucket is covered with an airtight lid. During the course of the 5 weeks, be prepared for a strong odor when you crack the seal on the lid.
To separate the liquid from the weeds, strain into another bucket using cheesecloth.
Be cautious not to get any of it on your clothes, as it will stain. One must also be cautious not to use toxic plants like poison ivy or poison oak. Another simple method is to simply place your weeds inside a sack that is permeable. Cover the sack with enough water so that it is submerged. Let it sit in the water for 4 weeks and use the solution as instructed above.
Application
Dilute with fresh water to ensure that it does not burn your plants. For every cup of fertilizer, dilute with 10 cups of water. This can be used both as a foliage spray and in a watering can. Start making this liquid fertilizer early in the season to ensure you have enough supply of this super fertilizer for all your plants.
Benefits
Most weeds have long taproots that take-up many beneficial minerals from the soil. Weeds like dandelion are high in potassium and other trace minerals, while other varieties contain nitrogen and phosphorus. You have the added advantage of removing weeds from where you do not want them and using them to make fertilizer.
Human Urine
Human urine is packed with so many beneficial nutrients that a debate on whether it can replace chemical fertilizer has ensued. The composition of urine is 11-2-1 meaning it is very rich in nitrogen.
The only exception to using this method is the body this urine is coming from must be free from disease and viruses. This makes human urine a controversial fertilizer unless you are applying on your own plants solely for your own consumption!
Preparation
By only using mid-flow urine, you can lessen the chance of harvesting contaminated urine. Mid-flow urine is collected by peeing the first few seconds into the toilet and then the remaining urine into your collection jar.
Be sure to use gloves and wash your hands before and after collection and use of your urine.
If one is on any medication, they should desist from using urine as a fertilizer. An extra precaution of testing the urine may be taken. Since there are so many things to test for, a comprehensive laboratory test would be the only worthwhile route here. Mix one cup of urine with 6 to 8 cups of water.
Application
For small plants, use 2 cups of the urine solution for medium plants, and for large plants 6 cups.
Benefits
Urine surprisingly has an extremely high amount of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, often rivaling some commercial fertilizers that cost an arm and a leg. There are also potential savings in the amount of freshwater used to flush the toilet as well as well as the cost of treating urine water for re-use. The risk of bacteria and diseases from it sometimes outweighs the benefits of urine, as it is very hard to know whose urine is free from viruses and disease.
Even if tests are carried out on the urine samples, this could be costly and time consuming. The effectiveness of good urine fertilizer also depends on the notion that the body it comes from remains disease free throughout the fertilization process lasting several weeks.
Grass Clippings
Grass clippings are in abundance all year round and therefore there is rarely a shortage of them. Ensuring that you keep your blades sharp will help you collect high-quality grass clippings and cause less damage to your lawn.
Preparation
Collect a 5-gallon bucket full of clippings and add water to it. Let it sit for 2 days. Sieve the solution to separate fertilizer from residue clippings. Mix the fertilizer to the ratio of between 1:8 and 1:10 with water.
You can also add your grass clipping to your compost pile. The following rules will help you make better compost.
Dry your clippings for a couple of days before adding them to the compost heap. This will help them decompose faster.
Using a compost aerator tool will improve the quality of the grass clipping compost pile.
Ensure you use thin layers of grass clippings to help with aeration. Start with a layer of dried material at the bottom of your compost pile to aid in this.
Application
Apply 2 cups to small plants, 4 to medium and 6 to the base of large plants. You can also work few handfuls of grass clipping directly into your soil. If your area is not very windy, you can use grass clippings as mulch. As you water your plants, it will begin to decompose and infuse nitrogen into your garden.
Benefits
High in nitrogen and other trace elements, grass clippings will give your nitrogen loving plants a good boost. If used properly they can provide up to 40% of your solid nutrient requirements every year. This amounts to big savings on your fertilizer budget.
This short video will help you understand the concept:
Bone Meal
Like its name, bone meal is simply ground animal bones and can be made quite easily. Bone meal should never be added to soil with a pH of more than 7 as it will be useless.
Preparation
Collect bones from your food leftovers.
Make sure your bones are brittle. Cook them in a crockpot for a few days to soften them. Boiling your bones on the stove will also work.
Dry the bones in the microwave on high for 5 minutes or by roasting them for 30 minutes at 425°F. When your bones are ready, they should be brittle. You should be able to break them with your bare hands if they are ready to be crushed.
Placing them inside a sack and hammering them will crush them into powder.
Sieve your bones to get rid of particles that have not been crushed. Put these back in the sack and crush them until most of your bones are turned into powder.
Application
For every 100 square feet of garden use 8-10 pounds of bone meal. Collecting bones over a long period will help you provide sufficient bone meal for your whole garden. Placing 2 to 3 tablespoons at the bottom of the planting hole will give your plants a good start. Since it is a slow releasing fertilizer, the benefits will be spread over a period of 10 to 12 weeks. Applying bone meal once every 16 weeks will provide sufficient phosphorus for your plants.
Comparing your homemade bone meal to the one you would purchase will give you an idea of how well you have done. You can purchase some organic bone meal in the link below. Mark the plants that you fertilize with your homemade bone meal and the one your purchase and compare results.
Benefits
Your average bone meal will be a 3-15-0 mix meaning it is high in phosphorus. This phosphorus will aid in a well-developed root system, flowering and fruit development. Beware that unprocessed bones added to your garden or compost pile will attract pests like dogs and rodents where bonemeal does not. Using bone meal with other fertilizers mentioned in this guide high in nitrogen like grass clippings and urine will give you a well-balanced fertilizer for your plants. Bone meal also increases the microbes in the soil that help in plant development and growth.
Seaweed
Seaweed can be used fresh or dry and does not need to be washed to rid it of its salt content. One needs to ensure they harvest in areas where they judge the least amount of contamination of seawater could have taken place. If you can get seaweed easily, making this fertilizer yourself will save you up to $20 per 1-liter bottle of organic seaweed from the store.
Preparation
Take about 1 bucket of seaweed and chop it up. Add water to this and let it sit for 3 weeks leaving the container cover partially open. In colder months you may need to let your seaweed sit in water for up to 12 weeks.
You can also place seaweed into an onion sack and submerge this into a bucket of water for the same amount of time. You can throw the remaining seaweed onto your compost pile.
Ensure you check beforehand if there are laws in your state on the harvesting of seaweed. Ascorbic acid is added to commercial seaweed fertilizer to help it store better. You can store yours in glass jars with the lids slightly open. Use it as soon as you can to make the most of its high nutritional value.
Application
Experiment by applying a varying amount of seaweed to different sections of your garden. Pour two 300ml cups for small plants, and 4 to 6 cup for medium to large plants, respectively.
You can also apply seaweed directly to your garden without turning it into tea.
Place a handful into each planting hole or for plants such as potatoes bury some before planting.
Simply spread seaweed over your garden and work it into the soil with a garden hoe. You can also place it over your garden in the winter and let it naturally break down.
Benefits
The trace and secondary nutrients found in seaweed will benefit most of your plants.
It contains 60 trace elements and this definitely makes up for is lack of macronutrients.
Seaweed will correct soil imbalances by aiding bacteria that produce nitrogen to return to your soil.
It also contains properties that help fight fungal diseases in your plants.
It is a deterrent to animals in the garden. Most do not like the smell and they often are tangled in it when wet or scratched when dry.
Powdered Milk
Powdered milk is an excellent calcium-based fertilizer. Calcium helps in building strong cell walls, which in turn help in the further transportation of other essential nutrients. Calcium loving plants like tomatoes will benefit from this fertilizer.
Preparation
No preparation is needed. Since it’s already powder, it’s easily absorbed by plants. Sprinkle half a cup of powdered milk per plant every two weeks. If you decide to apply your milk to the plants using a spray bottle, ensure that it has been well dissolved as it will otherwise easily clog your sprayer.
Benefits
Calcium loving plants will benefit from powdered milk.
Powdered milk is a cheap source of calcium.
Powdered milk has the advantage of being a fungicide as well as a fertilizer.
It can correct an acid imbalance in the soil.
Here is a video on how to use powdered milk as fertilizer as well as other functions it plays for your plants
Corn Gluten Meal
Corn gluten meal is a by-product of cornstarch production. It can be used as both fertilizer and herbicide to prevent weeds. It is excellent for your plants as well as your lawn.
Application
Besides buying corn gluten, no preparation is needed. Simply spread a thin layer of the meal over your garden and work into the soil with a hoe or rake if the soil has already been tilled. Spread 30-40lbs per 1000 square feet of garden. Do this twice a year for best results. The first application should be early in the spring and the second late in the summer when temperatures have fallen.
Benefits
Apart from the fact that corn gluten meal helps in the control of weeds, it also contains nitrogen, which will give your plants a steady supply of this important macro element. Take note that since corn gluten is also animal feed it may be a little expensive. It could also potentially attract pests to your garden.
Egg Shells
Eggshells are packed with calcium and are 93% calcium carbonate. They play the same role as lime in the soil, which neutralizes acidic soil. Cell walls are the equivalent of bones in plants and calcium will help to strengthen these.
Preparation
Wash your eggshells with water and place them in the sun until they are dry. Crush them into fine pieces using a hammer or mortar and pestle. You can also make eggshell powder by blending them well.
Application
Work your eggshells into the soil around your plants or mix them with potting soil. You can also add these eggshells to the bottom of your planting holes. Since it takes several months for your shells to break down it is recommended to apply them to your soil in early fall. You can also add eggshells to your compost pile together with dry material like old leaves.
Fertilized planting trays
You can also use eggshells, as planting trays that will give your seedlings the added benefit of calcium from germination. Simply sterilize your eggshells by boiling them or placing them in the oven at 200°F for a few minutes. Add potting soil to the eggshells and plant your seeds in them. When your seedlings sprout, plant your eggshells directly in the soil and bury them with the plant above the surface of the soil. As the plant grows and the eggshell breaks down it will release the much-needed calcium into the soil and make it readily available for your plant.
Liquid eggshell fertilizer
Simply place your eggshells in a glass jar for 4 weeks to allow the calcium to leach into the water. Dilute 1 cup of this solution to 1 gallon of water and apply either using a watering can or spray bottle.
Benefits
The calcium in eggshells will help fight off diseases like late blight and is exceptionally helpful in plants that are affected by this ailment, like spinach and tomatoes. They encourage a strong cellular structure and aid in the transportation of other vital nutrients to the whole of your plant. Eggshells will also keep slimy bugs like snails and slugs from your plants.
Coffee Grounds
Coffee grounds are said to have some nitrogen and therefore be beneficial to your soil. One thing most people do not know is that you can get them in abundance free at a coffee shop like star bucks if you ask for them. Store your coffee grounds in a countertop composter like this one.
Preparation
Either you can apply the coffee directly to your plants or you can make a liquid solution, which is absorbed faster by the plant. To do this, take 6-8 cups of ground coffee and add to 5 gallons of water to it. Let this sit for 3 days, sieve with cheesecloth and then pour this around your plants.
If you decide to add coffee grounds as they are, place them on a newspaper and leave them out in the sun to dry. Ensure they are completely dry before sprinkling them around your plants.
Since coffee grounds are acidic, adding them to a compost pile before application can neutralize the acid content. You can also add generous amounts of coffee grounds to your worm bin. Worms love coffee grounds and investing in a bin like this one is beneficial.
Application
Either scatter your grounds around the plant before watering or pour the liquid solution around the desired plants. Apply 1 tablespoon of coffee grounds per plant in your garden every week until your plants show visible signs of improvement.
Benefits
Your roses, tomatoes, and blueberries will benefit from the nitrogen that coffee grounds offer. Coffee grounds help raise the acidity of the soil and will help improve alkaline soil. Further benefits to plants will be the absence of snails and slugs when coffee grounds are used.
Epsom Salts
Epsom salt is a salt made up of sulfate and magnesium. It is another DIY fertilizer you can certainly make use of without much hassle.
Preparation
Simply mix 1 tablespoon of Epson salt per 1 gallon of water
Application
Water your plants with this solution once every 2 to 4 weeks. Apply the solution with a watering can or spray bottle. Vegetable seedlings will benefit from a tablespoon of Epson salt placed next to them. For roses spray when your first leaves appear in the spring and later on when they begin to blossom. Use a tablespoon of salt for every foot of height for your plants.
Benefits
Houseplants, tomatoes, and peppers will benefit from the magnesium that Epson salts contain. Epson salt is also very good for your lawn. Magnesium in the Epson salt helps to give germinating seeds a good kick-start while the sulfur aids in the creation of chlorophyll and will promote the efficient use of other macronutrients by plants like nitrogen.
Here is a video explaining this in detail:
Wood Ash
A great way to dispose of ash from your fireplace is by using it in your garden. Since it is rich in potash, it will help maintain the plant’s water balance as well as aid in the transportation of other nutrients around the plant.
Preparation
An important point to note is not to use any lighter fluid as this will adversely affect your plants.
Hardwood ashes are ideal and avoid putting charcoal into your soil.
Store your wood ash in an airtight metal container. This will prevent any ash that is still hot from
Sift your wood ash to get rid of any wood particles that are still left in it.
You can add wood ash to your compost heap. Make sure not to add too much as it will raise the pH of the compost pile and affect the worms that live in it. Working with wood ash is a dirty, dusty job. Covering your mouth and nose with a dust mask and wear gloves.
Application
Apply your wood ash to the soil at the end of the summer for it to have enough to time to decompose. Warning – Never combine the use of wood ash with nitrogen fertilizers, as this will create ammonia gas!
For every 100 square feet of garden, you can use 5lb of ashes. Mix this into your soil with a hoe or with a rake if the soil is already tilled.
Be careful not to use wood ash on acid loving plants or potatoes as this could lead to the disease potato scab. There really is no point in using potassium in soils that have a PH of over 7.5 as these are highly alkaline and potassium will only raise it further. If you use lime in conjunction with wood ash ensure that your application does not exceed a combined weight of 20 pounds per 1000 square feet of garden.
Benefits
Wood ash has potassium and calcium that helps raise the pH of your soil. Be sure not to use it for plants that thrive in acidic soils like blueberries. Plants like peas and beans will generally benefit very well from potassium.
Vinegar
Vinegar is very good for helping to lower the pH of your soil from being alkaline to neutral. Use vinegar on your plants in the late afternoon as the hot sun on the leaves could burn them.
Preparation
Simply mix one gallon of water per tablespoon of vinegar. Alternatively, you can add sugar to the mix by adding one tablespoon of sugar and vinegar per gallon of water. The glucose will give your plants extra energy and vigor.
Application
Apply this to your plants every 3 months. For potted plants add 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar and water your plants with this mixture using a watering can or spray bottle.
Benefits
Your plants that benefit from acid like tomatoes and houseplants will thrive using this solution. Azaleas, blueberries, and gardenias will also benefit. One should be careful when using a fertilizer like vinegar because it can easily harm your plants, as it is easy to lower your pH beyond what is needed.
Aquarium Water
Aquarium water is easily had by people with freshwater fish tanks. It should be noted that saltwater should not be used as fertilizer. The decaying food and fish waste make an excellent source of many macro and micronutrients. Fish like goldfish generally produce a lot of waste so if you are debating whether to buy a fish tank consider that it can also do wonders for your plants!
Preparation
No preparation needed. Avoid using aquarium water if you have added any medication or chemicals to it as this could be damaging to your plants.
Application
Use the water from your tank for routine watering. Using 2 cups for small plants, 4 for medium-sized plants and 6 for large plants. For water that has been in your tank for a long time and considered dirty slightly dilute it with water as it may be too concentrated for your plants.
Benefits
Your soil and in turn plants will certainly get a boost from the excretion of the fish concentrated in the water found in freshwater fish tanks.
Fish Emulsion
Fish emulsion is not only a great fertilizer but has many other added benefits to your soil. The composition of fertilizer is 5-1-1 making it a good source of nitrogen. Be warned, the odor is terrible.
Preparation
Keep all your leftover fish heads, bones, blood and scales for as long a period as possible. To prevent spoilage freeze it in readiness for your spring gardening.
You can either blend your frozen fish or use as is, but remember to add 2 parts of water for every 1 part of fish. Place the mix in a sunny area in an airtight container. Keep the mix far from your house, as the smell will be positively ferocious. Hold your nose and stir the mix every 2 days for the next 2 weeks.
Fishmeal
In the same way, you would make bone meal; make sure your leftover fish heads and bones are completely dry before crushing or blending them into a fine powder.
Application
For every square foot of garden apply 3 gallons of your fish emulsion mix. Half a gallon of this diluted mix can be applied to each plant depending on the size. You can also spray fish emulsion onto the leaves of your plants. One tablespoon into a gallon of water will suffice. Spray this on your plant’s leaves and water well after application.
I recommend comparing your homemade emulsion to a bottle from the store to determine how effective your fertilizer is. Since fish emulsion is a mild fertilizer, you can apply it to your plants as frequent as twice per week
Benefits
Plants like broccoli and beetroot will benefit from this fertilizer that is rich in all three macro elements. The homemade fish emulsion also contains microorganisms that are beneficial to the soil.
It has the benefit of being very mild acting and therefore you are unlikely to damage your plants.
Gelatin
Gelatin is a good source of nitrogen for your plants, cheap and readily available in bulk.
Preparation
Start by dissolving gelatin in water. You can do this by preferably adding 2 ½ to 3 cups water per packet. Make sure you use unflavored gelatin. To help it mix and better dissolve pour the contents into a cup of hot water before adding additional cups.
Application
Water your plants with this mix using 2 cups for small plants, 4 for medium, and 6 for large plants respectively.
Benefits
Unlike other natural sources of nitrogen, it is hard for you to feed your plants too much nitrogen through gelatin. You also do not run the risk of burning your plants with it. Gelatin has the benefit of infusing nitrogen into your soil slowly over a longer period of time that commercial fertilizers do not.
DIY FERTILIZER RECIPES
Compost
Any list of DIY fertilizers can never be complete without talking about compost. Compost is the most commonly used DIY fertilizer as it combines many of the individual items mentioned above into one powerful combo.
To make good compost you need to have the following elements:
Nitrogen- Found in green fresh matter like leaves and other waste like banana peels.
Carbon- Found in dried and dead leaves and branches.
Air and Water- Instrumental in activating your compost. It also ensures that the bacteria and organisms responsible for decomposition are able to survive.
Your compost pile needs to be hot enough to kill weed, seeds and other unwanted bacteria, but should not stay so long so as that it begins to rot and lose its nutrients.
Create your compost pile by the following steps:
Take green leaves, grass clippings, and other green matter and place them at the bottom of your compost heap. Other methods will recommend starting with dry matter to improve aeration.
Add a layer of manure or food scraps to your pile.
Spread another layer of green material and sprinkle some water over it. Make sure not to make your pile too wet as it will not decompose.
Check on your compost pile every few days and ensure that it is kept moist by sprinkling water over it. To check if your compost is decomposing, feel the layers beneath, they should be warm to hot.
Good compost is a rich dark color.
By making compost, you can make good use of food scraps like meat, without It attracting pests to your garden.
For a more concentrated solution, you can turn your compost into tea. This tea can be applied to your plants as either a foliage spray or simply watering the ground with it.
To make your liquid compost fertilizer fill a 5-gallon bucket ¾ full and add water leaving only enough room to stir. Stir this every day for 4 days. Use a porous cloth to strain the liquid and separate it from the remaining compost. Return that compost to the pile or spread it in your garden.
It should be noted that the concentrated liquid mix is quite strong and you should therefore, mix one part of this liquid fertilizer base with 10 parts of water.
Manure
Animal manure is a great source of fertilizer especially considering that if you live near farms it is readily available. It is both organic and cheap. Using manure from plant-eating animals like cows, goats, sheep, and fish is always the best.
A word of caution when using animal manure: it needs to be either dry or composted well because it could contain seeds from the plants the animal was eating. This could result in an enormous amount of weeds in your garden.
Use manure that is at least 6 months old if you do not wish to compost it. Avoid using manure from flesh-eating animals like dogs and cats as it could contain harmful parasites that are unwanted in your garden.
Using manure is quite simple, as all you have to do is work about ½ an inch worth of it into your soil. You need to be careful when using it on plants because too much of it could burn your them in a similar way to what commercial fertilizer would do if too much were applied too close to the stem.
Add manure to your garden late in the winter or the beginning of fall so that it would have decomposed well in time for your spring planting. Allowing your manure to sit in your garden for several weeks will allow its nutrients to be released into the soil.
A concentrated liquid fertilizer can also be made from animal manure by following the steps explained below.
Put one shovel of manure into a burlap sack or pillow. Put this in a 5-gallon bucket and fill it with water.
Leave the mixture in water for about 14 days and then remove the manure. You can simply throw the leftover manure into your garden.
Before application, ensure that your tea is diluted with an equal amount of water. Apply this to the soil around your plants by pouring 2 cups for small plants, 4 for medium and 6 for large.
Banana, Eggshell and Coffee Ground Blend
Combining all the benefits of coffee grounds, eggshells and banana peels can give you an amazing DIY fertilizer. Using your banana peels in this way is easier than using them on in the compost heap, as they take considerably longer to decompose.
All you really need to do is blend the three in a blender until it a well-mixed slurry.
The potassium from bananas, calcium from eggshells and nitrogen from the coffee blend certainly makes a great fertilizer for plants that are acid-loving like tomatoes. Dilute your mix with water so it can easily be absorbed by the soil and applied to your garden.
Here is a great practical video on how to do the above. It includes avocado peels, but you can omit them if you want.
Molasses, Alfalfa Meal and Epsom Salt
Another nutrient packed DIY fertilizer that will give you the benefit of both micro and micronutrients in your soil is a combination of molasses, alfalfa meal, and Epsom salt. To make this fertilizer dissolve one cup of alfalfa meal and Epsom salts each into 4 to 5 gallons of water. Add a tablespoon of blackstrap molasses to this.
Not only will this fertilizer feed beneficial bacteria and organisms that live in the soil, it will also give your plants extra growing strength.
Simple Tea Fertilizer
This is a simple recipe certain to give you amazing benefits for your plants. This is one of the simplest yet most effective DIY fertilizers as it uses simple easily accessible ingredients. The use of urine though may limit its use unless you grow strictly for personal consumption and even then, caution should be taken.
Mix ¼ cup of Epson salts, 2 cups of woods ash and 2 cups of urine in a 5-gallon bucket. Fill your bucket to about half way with grass clippings and other green matter like leaves or fresh corn stalks. Fill your bucket with water and let the mix sit for 2 to 3 days. Any more than this will cause nutrients to begin degrading.
Strain the content by using cheesecloth and before application mix the fertilizer base with an equal amount of water. Make sure you use this solution within 2 days.
A more nutrient-packed version of this that rivals commercial fertilizer can be made easily. Follow the recipe below to make this quick tea fertilizer. You will need the following ingredients:
1 teaspoon of ammonia, (Nitrogen)
2 ½ teaspoons of iced tea, (Nutrient absorption)
1 teaspoon of baking powder,(Nitrogen)
3 tablespoons of hydrogen peroxide (Oxidizer)
3 teaspoons of molasses (Feed for soil bacteria)
¼ cup of crushed fish bones (Phosphorus, Any other bones will also suffice)
1 Crushed egg shell (Calcium)
½-banana peel or 1 eggshell (Calcium and potassium)
Put all these ingredients into a milk jar and fill with water. Let the solution sit for about 2 hours.
Apply this to your plants using one cup for small plants, 2 for medium ones and 4 for large plants.
Advanced 1-2-1 Fertilizer
Caution should be taken when working with some of the ingredients found in the recipe below. Most of the material we have dealt with has been natural, mostly harmless ingredients, but the recipe below will require you to work with some chemicals. Proper protective clothing must be used while working with this recipe.
This DIY recipe may also require you to do some extra shopping for the ingredients but by the end, you will have a highly nutritive fertilizer. The composition of this fertilizer is a 1-2-1 mix meaning it is high in phosphorus and contains nitrogen and potassium. This mix rivals or even exceeds the value that you would gain from a commercial fertilizer you would buy from the store
Mix all of the above ingredients well and apply a between 1 to 2 tablespoons to your plants that require a good helping of fertilizer.
You will enjoy all the benefits of a commercial fertilizer and the added micronutrients that the natural ingredients possess.
Conclusion
DIY fertilizer not only makes for a great homestead project but also promotes the general well-being of the environment. It is important to remember that DIY fertilizer is not always easy to get right on the first attempt. Making sure that your ingredients, especially the natural ones, are free from any unwanted chemicals and contaminants will guarantee success.
A true homesteader is only as good as his ability to thrive without the use of commercial products. While some DIY fertilizers may not be easy for you to create at, it is best to give a few of the recommendations above a try and see what Works best for your plants and soil.
Food preservation and storage is a large part of being a prepper. For most of us, our very first action as a prepper was to buy some food (probably rice and beans) and put it away in our basement or pantry. We instinctively recognize our need for food and the fact that we are dependent on a fragile supply chain in order to keep eating. Those first purchases can easily come out of that, without even a passing familiarity with the idea of prepping.
