Yahoo News ‘Fantastic’ 20p kitchen scrap makes plants ‘flower better’ - ‘deters rats and cats’ too
For many gardeners, the act of fertilising their green space is often seen as one of the most beneficial investments, with the promise of, larger harvests, and happier plants overall.
However, premium fertilisers tend to come with a significant cost. Luckily, some thrifty gardeners have discovered a cost-effective solution using everyday kitchen scraps that can notably reduce waste while also saving some pennies.
Regardless of how conscientious homeowners are about consuming everything before its expiration date, food wastage - especially plant-based products - is unavoidable in kitchens.
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This led to one proactive gardener pondering whether she could incorporate her discarded orange peels into gardening.
She questioned which items should be avoided and if this method could truly bolster the health of her plants, reports the Express. On the popular online platform, the Gardening UK Facebook page, one user said: "Hi, I have a few compost questions. Can I put orange peel in the compost bin? I eat loads of oranges but as I never knew if you could I tend to throw the peel away."
She then added a follow-up question, they said: "I know you can't put onions, cooked food and meat in, but is there anything else you shouldn't put in the compost bin?" Fellow members of the group responded promptly, advocating the use of orange peels in gardening activities. One said: "I always add oranges and onion! Not had any problems."
Echoing her sentiment, another added: "I put all uncooked veg and fruit peel, onions and orange banana peel, buckets of unwashed seaweed in and shredded paper and cardboard."
While a third said: "I have always put onions and also orange, lime and lemon peels in and it's never been an issue for me. It's helped my plants fantastically to flower better and has deterred rats and cats from my garden."
Garden enthusiasts are encouraged to add orange peels to their compost heaps. Within two years, the peels will begin to decompose. Packed with nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus, these components transform into a rich soil once decomposed, perfect for planting.
Their acidic quality makes them particularly beneficial for acid-loving plants such as potatoes, blueberries, azaleas, and hydrangeas. Oranges are an affordable purchase at local supermarkets, with a five-pack selling for 99p at Asda and at Sainsbury’s equating to just 20p per orange.
