Gardening is considered one way to save money on produce — but as many home gardeners know, small expenses can stack up quickly.
Fortunately, there are ingenious ways to cut those costs, and an expert gardener’s TikTok video provided a fantastic, fruitful, and free way to fertilize your garden.
The scoop
At the moment, it feels like the price of everything is skyrocketing, and fertilizer is no exception.
Urban gardeners Char and Marv have a sizable following on TikTok, where they go by Planted in the Garden (@plantedinthegarden). In a popular clip, Marv shared their simple method to make free fertilizer.
@plantedinthegarden
They never really tell you that you can make your own free natural fertilizer. That’s right, this method is Free and uses materials from nature that are available to everyone. Dandelion and Leaf Mold Fertilizer, are created through an anaerobic process using microorganisms to extract nutrients from organic materials. This liquid fertilizer provides high-quality, organic nutrients readily available to plants. There’s no specific measurements as the ingredients can vary. Dandelion is just one plant material that you can use. The taproot of dandelions uptakes valuable minerals and nutrients from the soil, making them a valuable resource for creating homemade fertilizer You can even be plant specific, by using tomato leaves to feed tomato seedlings. If you’re looking to boost during the fruiting season. Use something that is higher in phosphorus like buckwheat plants. Other materials you can use include stinging nettle, grass, and most plants that we consider as weed. The main ingredient for this is a handful of aged leaf mould. A park full of trees or forest is a great resource for this. You can also make your own. For water, it’s best to use rain water or dechlorinated water to keep microbes alive. Since this is an anaerobic process, meaning that the solution is created with the absence of oxygen. Use a container with a tight lid. Be patient, that process can take weeks or months. You can create batches or make one big one at the end of the season. Lastly, before using make sure to dilute with water about 1-25 ratio to start and test on a few plants first. From there, you can increase the ratio until you find a suitable mix. #garden #organicgardening #urbangardening #nature #plants #gardendiy
♬ original sound – Planted in the Garden
“Making free, natural fertilizer for your vegetable garden isn’t hard,” Marv began. “If you don’t mind the smell, you can provide the plants with vital nutrients using three ingredients from nature.”
In the first few frames of the video, Marv visibly flinched after opening five-gallon buckets of percolating fertilizer, which presumably have a strong odor.
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A caption described the concoction as “dandelion and leaf mold fertilizer,” which Marv explained came as a result of anaerobic fermentation. The first two ingredients needed are weeds (or grass clippings) and leaf mold.
Marv placed them into a five-gallon bucket with a lid before adding the third and final ingredient, rainwater, or any “water that is dechlorinated.”
They said the only drawback (aside from the scent) was that the mixture took time to ferment. They advised staggering batches to ensure consistent availability.
The resulting liquid fertilizer was concentrated, and Marv recommended a ratio of one part concentrate to 25 parts water to start. A gardener could eventually work up to what the gardening duo uses, which is a 1-to-10 ratio.
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How it’s helping
In the clip, Marv explained that the solid bulk of the liquid fertilizer base, weeds or grass clippings, was a source of nitrogen, which supercharges plant growth.
Planted in the Garden’s stated goal is to “get as many people to grow their own food, no matter the experience or space available.” They want others to build community and to discover firsthand that it’s “amazing to eat fresh homegrown food.”
Research has linked community gardening in particular with better mental health, reduced stress, stronger bonds with neighbors, and even higher rates of optimism.
Separate research found diverse health benefits to growing your own food, which include better rates of fiber intake observed in home gardeners. Gardeners also have more control over which herbicides and pesticides go into their veggies.
What everyone’s saying
TikTok users were keen on making their own organic fertilizer thanks to Planted in the Garden’s quick and easy tutorial. Some had already done so.
“I make this … I have to keep the buckets on the other end of the yard. My husband HATES it and wants it gone asap … But it’s so useful,” one fan vouched.
“Good stuff, awful smell! I do the same with left over fish guts,” another attested.
“I’m so doing this, thank you,” a third commented.
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