Tomatoes ‘grow like crazy’ and ‘taste incredible’ when given easy homemade fertiliser
There is nothing like the taste of homegrown tomatoes; with so many delicious uses, they are the most versatile crop on the vegetable plot.
Gardening: Homebase shares tips to help grow tomatoes
Tomatoes can be one of the tricky fruits and vegetables to learn to grow, but the challenge makes it so much more satisfying come harvest time.
As these fruits are heavy feeders, fertilising tomatoes is a vital part of the process.
Commercial tomato feeds are widely available, but a homemade tomato fertiliser is natural, effective, and in most cases costs nothing.
Taking to the Gardening UK Facebook page, one gardener shared a homemade fertiliser her grandma used to use that is so simple.
Posting a picture of stinging nettles soaking in water, Iwona Orlikowska asked: “Has anyone tried the nettle fertiliser, especially for tomato plants?
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. Read our Privacy Policy
“My granny used to do that and her tomatoes would grow like crazy and always taste incredible. I'm doing it myself for the first time. Any experience with it?
“Basically fermented the nettles for two to three weeks and diluted it one to 10 parts with fresh water when using it on the tomato plants. My granny shredded the nettle. She said it was very important.”
Nettle tea is very potent, and therefore needs to be watered down before using it to feed other plants in your garden.
After diluting, water your tomato plants with it, much like you would with other liquid fertilisers. The recommended dose depends on the size of the plant or container.
Don't miss...
Hydrangeas are guaranteed to flower much better with one important yearly task [INSIGHT]
Remove moss from lawns fast with 55p homemade solution expert claims is easy [EXPERT]
Remove black spots from patio in 10 minutes with tried and tested magic solution [COMMENT]
Feel free to repeat nettle fertiliser application once every month or two, but not more often than every three weeks.
Group members took to the comments section to share their thoughts on the homemade fertiliser - many claimed to use it too.
Robin Biddlecombe wrote: “I make a similar brew with nettle, yarrow and comfrey, I use mine all round the garden with a similar dilution. smells a bit though.”
Bernice Hodges said: “I have used it, but it smells! Monty Don uses it and that is where I first saw it.”
Olive Turpin commented: “I found a tub behind the shed I did three years ago. It doesn't smell now, I'm glad I forgot about it. Looks good and started using it.”
So is this fertiliser effective? Well, weeds are really just plants that have evolved to self-propagate rapidly.
Stinging nettles is one such weed with a variety of beneficial uses from a food source to a garden fertiliser.
The gardening pros at Gardening Know How explained that the “nutrients in stinging nettle fertiliser are those same nutrients the plant contains which are beneficial to the human body such as many minerals, flavonoids, essential amino acids, proteins, and vitamins”.
