I’ve become addicted to those 5-pound, 99-cent bags of overripe bananas at the grocery store. I’ve been pureeing bananas in smoothies, baking them in brownies, and slicing them onto cereal. Why am I so infatuated with bananas? Partly, it’s the price. But the real reason I’m sold on these discounted fruits is what they do for my garden. After I munch the fruit, I bury the peels around the base of flowering perennials. Rich in potassium, calcium, magnesium, and phosphorous, banana peels deliver a nutrient-laden punch to plant roots.
I bury the whole peel in a shallow hole (maybe an inch deep) near the base of roses and clematis. Other gardeners chop the peels before bury the pieces; some swear by burying the peel flat, skin side up.
Others puree the peels with water and pour the mixture on soil as a liquid feed. Digging kitchen scraps into soil is a way to compost when you don’t have room for a compost pile. I do this in the vegetable garden until plants are established and digging would disturb roots. When I build a new planting bed, I dedicate the previous season to burying compostable kitchen waste in that spot to draw worms and enrich the soil for next season’s plantings.
I also bury kitchen waste in my compost pile. I have a three-bin system and work my way from bin to bin through summer, burying compostable goodies. The kitchen scraps break down by fall, when I add compost to various perennials or vegetable beds. The only items that don’t fully decompose are corn cobs; I toss those back into the bins as I refill them each fall. Watch this How-To video explaining composting basics, and download plans to build your own compost bin.
Composting in place develops great soil. You can bury whole newspapers or phone books, or shredded paper, along with kitchen scraps. For tight spaces, use a post-hole digger to excavate a deep, narrow hole. I know a Vietnamese gardener who uses this method. Her soil is so fluffy you can reach your arm in up to your elbow. She grows fantastic vegetables.
My vegetable garden is keeping my table full of goodies—beans, tomatoes, and basil. I don’t have enough room to raise regular pumpkins, let alone the giant-size beauties they’re tending in the Lowe’s Giant Garden.
Giant pumpkins can grow to be true monsters. Last year, the official largest pumpkin weighed in at 1536.5 pounds. That kind of produce requires a crane to move it! Check out the latest progress on the Lowe’s Giant Garden, and let me know what’s growing in your garden. Post a comment below—I’d love to hear about it.
Julie Martens
writer, editor, & horticulturist
An avid gardener since she was a child, Julie has parlayed her greenthumb into a professional career, having served as a garden editor for Better Homes and Gardens, home garden, Southern Living, and Garden Escape magazines. Currently, her writing frequently appears in various garden magazines—Garden Ideas & Outdoor Living, Country Gardens, and others. She has also authored two books filled with projects and ideas for sprucing up the Great Outdoors: Garden Decorating and Garden Rooms.
