Hi all! I’m poor. I’m attempting to get my balcony garden started without spending more than 30 dollars. (I’m probably nuts, I know.) It looks like a good chunk of that will be going to a water hose and sink attachment so I don’t have to haul a milk jug of water back and forth a hundred times, so I’m hurting a bit on funds for fertilizer. To make matters worse, the landlord says I’m not allowed to compost anywhere in the apartment or on the property. (I would just hide it under my kitchen sink, what she doesn’t know won’t hurt her etc, but there’s other reasons why I can’t unfortunately.)

Is there any option for fertilizing my plants with like… five dollars left? If I mix coffee grounds and eggshells into the soil will it do anything other than bother the local slugs? I’ve seen that stuff about letting plant scraps sit in a bucket to make “tea” but what I read said it can’t replace fertilizer - is there a way to make it so that it can?

I have a bag of epsom salts, a strong appetite for veggies, and the willingness to steal the neighbor’s lawn clippings if I must.

I’m also willing to accept that I may have to forgo the water hose C:

  • MoonMelon@lemmy.mlEnglish
    2·
    8 hours ago

    I mean… for the truly free solution you could potentially use your own urine. It’s a little much for most people but historically it was used.

      • MoonMelon@lemmy.mlEnglish
        3·
        7 hours ago

        Apparently it does not contain too much sodium, although you probably have to apply sparingly (like any fertilizer). Most plants can (and must) tolerate some sodium in the soil. Some plants are much better at this than others. It would probably help if these balcony plants are getting rainwater or non-salty tap water (like, you don’t have a water softener).

        Urine doesn’t have the same parasite issues as feces but probably best to skip using it if you had a UTI or were regularly taking medications. I’d also just apply it to the roots and not the whole plant (like any fertilizer). I don’t know, I’ve never used it, I just know it has been used historically and it has a ton of nitrogen. Anecdotally the spots in my (extremely rural) yard where I’ve pissed green up noticeably.