How to Use Bananas for Potted Herbs

Potted herbs can be grown in a kitchen for easy access.

Growing your own herbs, especially convenient potted herbs, allows you to have access to fresh herbs any time you want. You can grow potted herbs both indoors and outside. One way to help herbs grow better is to keep the soil fertilized. Bananas, which are readily available and found in plenty of kitchens, can be used to help potted herbs grow better. Does this Spark an idea?

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Bananas
Knife
Potted herbs
Fresh soil

Instructions

- 1
  
  Add bananas, both skin and fruit, to compost piles if you make your own natural fertilizer. Make sure to cut up the bananas so help speed up the decomposition process so that you can use the compost faster for fertilizing potted herbs. Consider using a small-scale, kitchen compost bin to keep your compost close at hand so you can turn and churn the compost to further promote a speedy decomposition process.
- 2
  
  Add cut up banana peel directly to the soil of potted herbs. Use this method if you do not make your own fertilizer by composting leftover fruits and vegetables. Cut up the banana peel in to small (no more than 1/8 inch) pieces and add directly to the soil.
- 3
  
  Replant or transfer herbs to larger containers if the roots are starting to become exposed. Use chopped up banana peels throughout the soil to fertilize the soil. Transplant the herbs and mix in a a few additional pieces of banana peel to the top of the pot and mix with your fingers to blend in to the top layer of dirt.
- 4
  
  Dust the leaves of herbs, especially larger leaf herbs such as basil and oregano, by using the inside portion of a banana peel. The natural oils in the banana peel will shine your leaves and remove any dust which may have gathered on the plants due to being indoors.
- 5
  
  Add three parts cut up banana peel to one part water in a blender. Liquefy contents to make a liquid banana peel fertilizer to use as needed for potted herbs.

Tips & Warnings

Save banana peels not used for fertilizing potted plants to chop up and spread around outdoor gardens to use as fertilizer.
Make sure to keep an indoor compost pile out of reach so that small children do not accidentally ingest any of the rotting material.