How to make great soil without a garden
If you've got a balcony garden, you can still have a great soil with a few easy tricks. Best of all, you won't spend a cent.
Pot plants and veggie crops need healthy, enriched soil to thrive. Here are some free and natural ways to replenish your potting soil without the faff.
Compost Kitchen Scraps
You can create a DIY compost bin and reuse your fruit and veggie peels, coffee grounds, tea leaves and eggshells.
- Grab a small bucket or container with a lid, drill some holes in the top, add scraps in layers with shredded paper or dry leaves.
- To avoid sludge chop scraps finely, dry out and crush eggshells and avoid too much wet stuff unless you're balancing with dry materials.
- Stir occasionally. Keep it moist but not soggy and after 1–2 months (bucket), it should look earthy and smell neutral.
- Mix into the bottom half of the pot when repotting or dig a small hole in the soil, bury a handful, and cover it well. Avoid placing fresh scraps on top — always bury or mix in.
- Keep It Tidy, use mulch or decorative pebbles on top of your pots and store your compost bin outside or under the sink with a tight lid.
Rotate your crops
If you have a pot garden, switch up what you grow each season to avoid nutrient depletion and pests.
Plants love
Used Tea Leaves and Coffee Grounds
These add nitrogen and improve soil texture. Just sprinkle them on top or mix them in lightly.
Grass Clippings or Weeds (if chemical-free)
Dry them out and use them as mulch or mix into the soil for slow nutrient release.
Fallen leaves
Collect fallen leaves, moisten them, and let them decompose in a bag or bin. After a few months, you’ll have a rich, crumbly material to mix into your pots.
Banana Peels
Soak banana peels in water for a few days and use the liquid to water your plants. It’s rich in potassium and phosphorus.
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