Why gardeners must look for alternative fertilisers

I am guilty as a lot of other gardeners for broadcasting artificial fertiliser over the veg plot or around my Poplar trees instead of finding an environmentally friendly alternative.

Farmers are really feeling the squeeze as fertiliser prices continue to climb but gardeners should have no excuse because there are many high value free nutritious alternatives that will let you produce better tasting and far more controlled and healthy growth.

Below are a few examples and feel free to add any to the list that work for you.

Recycle all kitchen waste in a wormery or composter. It not only gives us the opportunity to reduce the environmental impact of infill sites and the increases energy costs for collection and processing, there is a valuable product that can be used as a feed, nutritious mulch or planting compost and in the case of a wormery, the liquid that can be drawn off is a great fertiliser tonic which can be diluted and fed to any plant.

The good old garden compost heap too which you have collected leaf and grass waste and also included spent composts and soil can all be mixed and used to increase soil condition and worm activity. Grass mowings are rich in nitrogen and they can either be re-introduced to the surface of the lawn by leaving the grass box off or by using a mulching blade which will shred the grass clippings as you go.

Manure is a great source of nutrients and of course conditions the soil too. Horse manure will break down slowly but the benefits are longer lasting. Be aware though that wood shavings will take longer to break down and any benefit that is provided by the rotten dung is easily absorbed by the bacteria that utilise Nitrogen to break down wood. Constant use can have a long term adverse effect on trees and shrubs.

Use horse manure that is mixed with straw and has been left standing for a minimum of a year and preferably longer (if any hangs around that long any more?).

Cow manure breaks down quickly so it not so long lasting but is very high in nutrient content. One good way to feed plants and lawns is to add a ten litres of water to a kilo of well rotted Cow manure and let it stand for a week. Draw off the liquid and filter it out and then apply this as a liquid to plants and your grass and enjoy the results.

The waste from your tea and coffee pots is a great tonic, especially for tomatoes and roses because of high iron and magnesium content. I would avoid any lime loving plants but if you have camellias or Rhododendrons then they will love a dressing of tea and coffee.

You can try growing Clover on a portion of your vegetable area for a season. The roots of Clover naturally produce nodules of Nitrogen which can be dug into the soil the following year to fertilise the soil.

Over to you - what would you recommend?