Tomatoes need to be fed more nutrients compared to other crops to produce fruit, but you can easily give your tomato plants a boost this summer with one kitchen scrap.
Jim Zamzows, a gardener and founder of the fertiliser business Dr Jim Z, has shared that using banana peels as a feed will help tomatoes grow bigger and stronger.
Banana peels are rich in potassium, an important nutrient that plays a critical role in fruit production and can result in a bigger crop yield.
Jim said: “Banana peels have become a popular garden fertiliser because they are readily available and one of the highest natural sources of potassium.
“Potassium is essential because it aids in photosynthesis, helps move water and nutrients between cells, helps with flowering, and strengthens the stem.
“Banana peels also contain other important nutrients like calcium, manganese, sodium, magnesium, and sulfur.”
Calcium helps prevent blossom end rot, a common disease in tomatoes which can cause it to develop poorly while magnesium helps improve the overall plant’s health.
How to feed tomato plants banana peels
Simply collect several banana peels and store them in a container in your kitchen, and once you have enough chop them up into pieces.
Dig a hole a few inches away from a tomato plant, add the banana peels and then fill in the hole.
For young tomato plants only feed one banana peel per plant but for established tomato plants you can feed them two to three banana peels per plant.
Bury banana peels around every four to six weeks during the tomato plant’s growing season but you can also adjust the frequency depending on the soil quality and how the plant responds to the new fertiliser.
How to make a banana peel tea for tomatoes
You can also make a very effective banana peel tea for watering tomatoes, as all you need is banana peels and a jar with a lid.
Add several banana peels to a jar and then fill the jar with water, then seal the jar and leave to sit for around a week.
Pour the liquid tea around the base of a tomato plant and you will get a bigger and more abundant tomato fruit yield over the summer.
Use the banana peel-infused water around every two to four weeks and ensure the soil has dried out between waterings to prevent tomato plants from becoming waterlogged.
Jim said: “You can also make larger batches of banana peel tea in a big container over a longer period of time, but be sure to use something covered to prevent a rotting smell and attracting animals.”
