Are Banana Peels Good for the Garden?
Banana peels pile up by the dozens, especially if you love eating bananas! These peels decay and provide essential nutrients to plants. Though they can be beneficial, they may cause harm in certain circumstances. Learn whether banana peels are good for the garden and how to use them best alongside seasoned grower Jerad Bryant.
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Gardening is full of quick “hacks” that seem to save you time, money, and effort. But, are these hacks truly beneficial, or are they time-consuming wastes of effort? The answer lies somewhere in between the two extremes. Some tricks, like using banana peels in the garden, can be incredibly beneficial for plants and soil microorganisms.
The key is understanding the natural processes of the garden. Anything made of organic matter, like banana peels, can convert into humus-rich dirt. Eggshells, coffee grounds, and potato peels are similar nutrient-rich organic materials that decompose into soil amendments.
Decomposition, however, is not instantaneous. It requires time, heat, moisture, and microbes to work. Though you can put a banana peel directly into the garden, it may be better to treat it first before putting it in the dirt. So, the question remains: Are banana peels good for the garden?
The Short Answer
Yes, they are! Peels contain plant nutrients beneficial for vegetables, fruiting species, and wildflowers. They’re good for outdoor spaces with poor soils, as their breakdown process creates loose, porous soil perfect for plant roots.
Though bananas are good for the garden, how you use them dictates how beneficial they are. Putting them on top of the soil won’t do much, whereas composting, burying, or dehydrating the peels helps them break down
The Long Answer
Banana peels are good for the garden, the environment, and budding plants. Saving trash from landfills is reason enough to reuse them! Though useful, they can cause growing issues for your plants when improperly applied.
Banana Nutrients
Bananas are beneficial because they’re rich in nutrients! After they decompose, they provide an array of minerals and plant vitamins to your crops, houseplants, and wildflowers. Bananas are especially rich in phosphorus and calcium, and they have traces of potassium, iron, and magnesium.
All of these elements are necessary for healthy plant growth. Leaching them out of the peels will enable plant roots to consume them and use them to grow new leaves, flowers, and fruits.
Unlike salt-based fertilizers that are harmful in large quantities, organic ones are slow to break down and become accessible. Bananas are similar—they decompose at a steady rate and release nutrients over time rather than all at once, like leaves, wood, and other garden debris.
They Can Be Useful
All organic matter can be useful in gardens! The key is properly decomposing it first before using it. Without breaking the scraps down, their nutrients are inaccessible to plant roots. Peels will sit and rot, providing you with a stinky and mushy mess to deal with.
Instead of throwing them on the ground, you’ll want to process the peels so they’re available to your crops. Composting, burying, dehydrating, and leaching are some of the many ways to convert waste into plant fertilizer.
Processing the bananas is especially important if you intend to use them indoors. If you don’t process them, they may attract fungi, bacteria, and pests like fungus gnats. Let nature decompose the bananas for you, or use methods like composting and leaching to speed up the process.
How to Compost Banana Peels for Your Garden
So, how do you use banana peels in the garden? Composting is my favorite method. You can combine peels with all of your kitchen scraps, garden waste, and other organic debris. To compost, make a pile in an area with three square feet. A peel is considered a green material, which means it has more nitrogen than carbon.
Compost requires both green and brown materials, which are rich in carbon. Things like fallen leaves, cardboard, and paper products are brown materials, whereas peels, kitchen scraps, and grass clippings are green ones. Make the pile by alternating every shovelful of greens with two shovelfuls of browns, and mix the materials well.
With daily turning and weekly watering, you’re compost will be ready anywhere from three weeks to six months after you set it up. It should be black and crumbly with an earthy aroma. Spread compost freely in your yard, in beds, containers, and tree wells.
Other Processing Methods
Composting isn’t the only way to process peels. An easy way to leach some of the materials out of them is to soak them in water for a few days. Strain the banana water, then use it as a foliar or liquid fertilizer. Spritz the plant leaves to use it as a foliar spray, or dilute the solution in water and add it to the soil.
Though fun, the leaching method is inefficient for long-term plant care. Use it as a part of a comprehensive fertilizing regimen alongside regular helpings of compost or organic fertilizers.
You may also dehydrate and grind the bananas before adding them to potting soil or raised beds. Place the scraps on a tray in the oven on its lowest setting. Let them dry out completely, then add them to a blender and blend well.
An easy way to handle leftover bananas is to bury them underground. Dig holes or trenches a foot or deeper in the ground, and plant plants on top of them. The roots will eventually reach the pockets of nutrients left behind by the rotting bananas.
How Not to Use Banana Peels in the Garden
Just as there are many ways to use banana leftovers, there are also dozens of ways not to use them! Prevent diseases and pests like fungus gnats by properly disposing of your organic waste.
Never throw the bananas on the ground, as they’ll attract ground-dwelling pests like moles and voles. They may also hide pesky slugs and snails underneath their rotting parts. Ensure they’re hidden underground or in compost, or process them first before adding them to the soil.
You may sprinkle dehydrated and ground-up bananas in the yard as a slow-release fertilizer. Or, better yet, blend them in your compost pile to boost its nutritional value and structural integrity.
Other Foods to Feed the Garden
Bananas aren’t the only things you can compost or bury! If you eat or cook with any of these food items, consider diverting them to your garden instead of throwing them away:
- Onions
- Ground Eggshells
- Coffee Grounds
- Spoiled Greens
- Celery Stalks
- Carrot Tops
- Garlic Husks
These are some of the many things you can throw in a bin to use outdoors. The more food you repurpose into soil and fertilizer, the less that ends up in the landfill!
Aside from kitchen scraps, consider repurposing envelopes, plastic-free cardboard, and paper scraps. These carbon-rich materials decompose readily and quickly, and they feed hungry worms below the soil.
Key Takeaways
- How you process waste is more important than the type of waste you have. So long as it consists of organic matter and will decompose, it’ll be good for the soil.
- Ensure your banana peels break down before adding them to garden soil. Dry and blend them, compost them, or bury them.
- Repurposing food waste is an excellent way to heal your garden and the planet; you’ll avoid filling landfills and dumps with trash.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a banana peel go in the compost?
Yes! This is the best way to put it to use.
Which plants like banana peel water?
Many plants will thrive with banana water. Consider feeding your houseplants, herbs, and bonsai trees with it. Vegetables and fruits appreciate the feed, though they’ll require additional nutrients to grow their best.
What does a banana peel contain?
It contains nutrients like nitrogen, calcium, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, and iron. In addition to these, it has trace amounts of other minerals and vitamins.
