Stop wasting money on tomato feed — here’s how I made my own free fertilizer
I’m all for saving money in my yard, from sowing seed rather than buying plants to taking cuttings to create new ones for free. And I continue this money-saving theme throughout, ensuring I can keep enjoying my garden for less.
Taking care of your plants doesn’t stop once they are in the ground; they need mulching, watering at the right time, and feeding to give them the best chance of success. This is certainly true for tomatoes, which need plenty of water and nutrients to grow tasty fruits.
Although there are plenty of tomato feeds on the market, you can make your own for free using a common kitchen scrap. We’ve already shared how onion peel can give your tomato plants a healthy boost, but this time I’m following a tomato feed hack that uses another waste item.
Power up your tomatoes with banana peel
Tomatoes are hungry plants that require nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and calcium to grow strong vines, abundant blooms and healthy fruit.
It just so happens that bananas, the most popular fruit in my house, are rich in all four nutrients that tomatoes crave, and the fruit’s leftover skin can be used to make tomato feed.
What’s more, it’s so easy to make a tomato feed using banana skins; even if you've never made a plant fertilizer before, you can’t go wrong.
How to make tomato feed with banana peel
Rather than casting your banana peels into your trash or compost, save them for your tomatoes.
1. Cut up your peels (I left mine whole as I was using one).
2. Add the peel to a jar of water.
3. Let it sit for 2-3 days.
4. Transfer the liquid into a jug.
5. Pour the feed onto your tomato plants.
As shown above, I poured the feed directly into a plant pot that I then buried in the soil. It’s another tomato-growing hack that ensures water and feed go directly to the roots, where needed. It also prevents water from evaporating and helps develop a resilient root system.
Once you start using your banana peels to feed your tomato plants, you’ll be conjuring up all sorts of ways to add more of these tasty fruits into your diet so you can eat them for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Follow Tom's Guide on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our up-to-date news, analysis, and reviews in your feeds. Alternatively, you can read our content on the Tom's Guide app available now for iOS and Android. Subscribe to Tom's Guide on YouTube and follow us on TikTok. Finally, you can visit our dedicated Tom's Guide Savings Squad hub for expert help on getting the best products for less.
More from Tom's Guide
