4 Clever Uses For Peelings In The Vegetable Garden

Far from being mere food waste, your peels are actually full of talent. There are plenty of uses for your lemon peels, orange peels and even onion skins. So instead of throwing them in the trash, give them a chance to dazzle you! Today, we’ve decided to focus on ways to use your peels in the vegetable garden or in your garden.

Indeed, the peels of fruits and vegetables are organic matter rich in nutrients very appreciated by your plants. In the composter or for hunting insect pests, discover how to recycle and revalue them intelligently.

Use your peelings in compost

If you have a little space to install a composter, you can add your peelings to make a good compost for the vegetable garden and the garden. In addition to brown waste (dead leaves, twigs, cardboard, straw …), peelings are indeed green waste to balance a compost as well as eggshells, wilted flowers and weeds. You just have to mix all this regularly to allow the organic matter to air and breathe. Then, we let it all decompose gently. And then, mission accomplished! This homemade amendment based on household waste can be used as a natural fertilizer for your flower boxes and for the soil of your green spaces.

However, not all peelings are good to put in the compost. Avoid avocado peels or pineapple peel which decompose very badly. For the well-being of the vegetable garden, limit citrus peelings as they bring too much acidity to the compost.

Peelings against vegetable garden pests

There are several ways to use peelings against insect pests and other vegetable garden pests:
-Citrus peels will repel slugs. Lemon will also repel ants. Place in high traffic areas.
-Cucumber peelings placed on aluminum will scare away gastropods.
-Place broccoli stalks to get rid of flies (especially carrot flies)
-Garlic skin has many uses. In the garden, the gardener can make a few bowls to keep most insects away. You can also leave the skins on the garlic when you make an anti-aphid garlic purin.

Just be sure to replace the peelings regularly. They lose their effectiveness as they decompose.

Peelings to trap vegetable garden pests

Your peels are a real treasure when it comes to attracting pests. Whether it’s to divert them from your crops or to trap them, there are plenty of uses for them.
-Dig a little and place a dish filled with potato peelings low to the ground. This will attract the beetles and you can mechanically eliminate them.
-Banana peel is also very useful here. As a repellent, make small pieces and bury them lightly at the foot of the plants to chase away the aphids. Or, spray a banana peel-water infusion on infested plants. You can also use it as a trap by soaking it in cider vinegar. Pour it into the bottom of a bottle cut in half with the top half facing down (like a funnel). This will attract insects, but they will not be able to get out and will eventually drown.

Last idea: peelings… to plant in the garden!

Carrot or Jerusalem artichoke remains, onion root, sprouted garlic, lettuce heart, piece of ginger buds up, sprouted garlic, curly lettuce core, white root part of leek… Kitchen waste can often be planted in the ground or put to germinate in water before being planted in the ground. Nevertheless, we do not think much about using sprouted potatoes. However, these sprouts can be used to grow potato plants. Cut the potatoes into three or four pieces, making sure there are sprouts on each piece. Then plant them in moist soil! You can also transplant leftover Jerusalem artichokes very easily.

With these tips, you can reduce the amount of food waste in your garbage cans!